Sailor diagnosed with aggressive blood cancer at 19 reveals the two symptoms he dismissed
A sailor who hiked and kayaked through his cancer treatment celebrated getting the all-clear by taking his final chemo tablet on top of Ben Nevis.
Ciaran Daniel, 23, from Hull, was just 19 when he was told he had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, an aggressive form of cancer that affects white blood cells.
Working for the Royal Navy in the Persian Gulf, Ciaran was flown by private jet back to the UK where he underwent three years of treatment.
And since receiving the all-clear in May this year, Ciaran celebrated by taking his last chemo tablet on top of Ben Nevis.
He said: “Even while I was having intravenous chemo, I was still out and doing active things that you probably shouldn’t do on that sort of treatment, but I couldn’t stay still.
“I was climbing, kayaking, surfing and hiking. It kept me occupied and upbeat during the tough time.”
He added: “When I reached the top of Ben Nevis in May, I got a reminder on my phone to take my medication, which is when I realised I had just one chemo tablet left.
“It was the perfect place to end my treatment.”
At 19 Ciaran initially brushed off the symptoms he was experiencing.
He said: “I was working for the Royal Navy in the Persian Gulf, undertaking anti-piracy and anti-drug operations.
“It was a physically demanding job so when I noticed that I was bruising a lot, I just assumed it was due to the nature of my role.
“I was experiencing a lot of tiredness too but that was easily explained by how demanding my job was.”
It was not until Ciaran noticed blood in his urine that he sought medical advice.
He said: “I was sent to a private hospital in Dubai where they did blood tests.
“When the results came back, they didn’t know how I’d even managed to walk into the building, my blood levels were so low.
I figured the top of Ben Nevis was just as good of a place to finish my treatment as any
“In hindsight, I think it was the fact that I was very healthy and physically fit that had kept me going.”
Ciaran had a bone marrow biopsy which revealed his devastating diagnosis.
He said: “They broke the news to me on New Years Eve 2018, that I had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
“Because of the drugs I had for the biopsy, I was pretty out of it when I rang my family and I told them I had leprosy. My doctor took the phone off me and had to break the news to them.”
My friend filmed me taking my last tablet, which marked the end of my three-year journey with cancer
I was climbing, kayaking, surfing and hiking. It kept me occupied and upbeat during the tough time
