“I cried when I found out I could go back to school”

On this episode of Let’s Talk Blood Cancer: The Patients' Podcast, childhood leukaemia survivors Hughie Higginson and Jude Hawkridge share their experiences of being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), the challenges of treatment, and how they’ve rebuilt their lives after cancer. They also reflect on the hope the ATICUS Network brings for future generations of children with blood cancer.What’s in this episode:- Hughie and Jude’s experiences of being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), including the symptoms they experienced and how long it took to receive a diagnosis- The emotional impact of hearing the word "cancer" as a child and navigating treatment at a young age- Jude’s treatment journey, from chemotherapy and CAR-T cell therapy to receiving a stem cell transplant- The realities of spending long periods in hospital, coping with isolation, missing family and friends, and finding comfort in the small things during treatment- How treatment affected everyday life, including changes in appetite, missing school and football, and the importance of being treated like any other child- The lasting impact Professor Rob Wynn had on both Hughie and Jude’s treatment journeys- Why the ATICUS Network is so important in developing less toxic treatments, expanding access to innovative clinical trials, and improving outcomes for children undergoing stem cell transplantsFind out more about Cure Leukaemia and how you can get involved and support blood cancer patients across the globe: https://www.cureleukaemia.co.uk/