Sisters tend to have a close bond, but for Lesley Maston the ties are stronger than most because without the help of both her siblings, she might not have been alive today.
“We’ve always been very close, but I never let them forget how grateful I am – it’s thanks to them that I’m still here,” says Lesley of her younger sisters Carole and Susan, who both contributed to saving her life. “Both of them were desperate to help when I needed them most, which was amazing.”
Her sisters first came to her aid back in October 2003 when Lesley, now 60, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a rare type of blood cancer which starts in the white blood cells in the bone marrow.
“The first sign anything was wrong was a huge bruise appearing on the top of my leg, way out of proportion to its cause,” recalls Lesley, who lives inSt Helens, Merseyside, close to her sisters. “For a few weeks I’d been feeling extremely tired, breathless and started having severe headaches.”
After blood was found in her urine, Lesley was referred to hospital. Tests revealed she had a rare leukaemia, which only 800 people in the UK are diagnosed with each year. “I’m quite stoic and don’t like making a fuss, so thought ‘at least I’m in hospital where they will sort me out’,” says Lesley. After receiving donated blood to replace her own, which lacked enough red blood cells (which carry oxygen from the lungs around the body), she began an intense course of chemotherapy.
This was a success, putting her blood cancer into remission, ready for a stem cell transplant which would hopefully restore her ability to produce new blood cells.
As close family members are often the best donors, she was advised that her sisters would be ideal candidates. “They tested both Carole and Susan and as Susan’s results came back first and were such a good match they didn’t need Carole to donate, although both were clamouring to help,” she says.
So in April 2004, Susan delayed starting planned IVF treatment to instead donate stem cells. T-cells (which destroy abnormal cells) were harvested from her blood before being infused into Lesley. “My blood was taken from my femoral artery (top of the thigh) which took about five hours,” says Susan, now 55. “After being processed it went into a plasticbag and looked like pink grapefruit juice.”
The stem cell transplant took just half an hour and was a success, so the future looked bright, but in August 2004, Lesley contracted a common virus called cytomegalovirus (CMV). It would be harmless to most people, but because Lesley’s immune system was compromised, it proved almost fatal.
“The virus just got on top of me,” she recalls. “My sisters were called and told I might not survive the night – it was very tough. Somehow I pulled through but I know how close l came to not being here.”
Recovery wasn’t plain sailing either – Lesley’s doctors broke the news that her kidneys were failing, irrevocably damaged, they believed, by the antibiotics given to treat the CMV.
“I needed dialysis every four hours during the day,” says Lesley, who was forced to take early retirement from her job as an investment company analyst on health grounds. “It felt relentless and dominatedmy life.”
The only way off dialysis was to have a transplant and as soon as the sisters found out, they offered to donate. “Susan wanted to give me one of her kidneys, but I said ‘absolutely not!’ after she had given me her stem cells,” says Lesley. “How can you ask someone who has saved your life once to do it again?
“Carole volunteered immediately too, but I told her to think about it. It was a huge thing for her to do. I wanted her to know what she was getting involved in.
“But for three years I wasn’t even allowed on the transplant list because my body needed to recover [from the cancer, its treatment and the virus]. I was also a little afraid of putting myself through such a major procedure.”
Carole, now 56, says: “We both wanted to help Lesley because you feel a bit helpless when someone you love is going through so much – you want to do something to make it all better.”
So, in 2009, keyhole surgery was used to remove Carole’s kidney before it was transferred to her sister. The family were thrilled when doctors revealed that the transplant had been a success, the new kidney was doing its job properly, and that Lesley would finally be able to stop having dialysis.
“She gave me back my quality of life and saved me too,” says Lesley. “It wasvery emotional when she saw me for the first time after the transplant. The tears flowed.”
Having lived through such traumatic times, Lesley was keen to help others who might be going through similar difficulties with their own health.
It inspired her to become a founding member of the Liverpool Haematology Support Group, which was set up exactly 20 years ago by Linda Boyne, a patient counsellor at the NHS Clatterbridge Cancer Centre. It’s for patients and their families in the Merseyside area living with blood cancer. At its monthly meetings, experts give talks while members can share their own experiences.
Two decades on, Lesley stillattends regularly, sharing her storyto “show people there’s light at the end of the tunnel”.
She undergoes annual check-ups and although she’s never fully regained her former strength, is thankful to have survived both cancer and kidney failure with the help of her sisters. “I can’t always do as much as I want, but I still enjoy life,” says Lesley.
“My sisters and I have always been there for each other – we lost ourdad when we were all young, so itwas always us and Mum before she passed away. They are both fantastic sisters andI love them so much. We’ve always been close, but what they each didfor me makes our relationship even more special.”
For more details on the NHS Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, visit clatterbridgecc.nhs.uk. Blood Cancer UK offers nationwide support and information.
