Cancer sufferer shares story to highlight need for bone marrow donors

Lucy Hart, who lives in Station Road with her partner Guy, was diagnosed with acute myeloid dysplasia, which is a precursor to leukaemia, after a routine blood test to investigate bruising and swelling on her finger earlier this year.

Since then she has undergone chemotherapy and is being admitted to Southampton General Hospital on Tuesday for a bone marrow transplant thanks to her sister Jane.

Lucy said: “This has all come as such a shock, and is really not what I expected to be doing in 2014, but the NHS and all the medical staff I have come into contact with have been fantastic – I cannot praise them highly enough.”

She described how extremely lucky she felt to be diagnosed so early, since she did not feel unwell, and praised staff at Billingshurst’s GP surgery, as well as doctors at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester, and those at Southampton.

She has shared updates with her friends on Facebook and has launched a website at www.lucy-hart.com

She explained: “I just tried to make it light and fun and describe the funny things that happened.

“All the way throughout we just have to be completely and utterly positive and we just get on with it.”

She added: “People call me brave or an inspiration. I think what else can you do? I have got a plan and I can get rid of it.”

Lucy, who works for Countryside Properties selling new homes at the Wickhurst Green development south of Broadbridge Heath, thanked her sister for agreeing to be donor, but thought others might not be so lucky.

She said: “If I could do anything with what I have learned so far it would be to encourage people to sign up to become a bone marrow donor.”

To visit the British Bone Marrow Registry visit www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/bonemarrow