A Scots teen has told how her entire life changed “in the blink of an eye” after being diagnosed with leukaemia.
Ayley Crawford, 19, from Wishaw in North Lanarkshire, was diagnosed with the blood cancer on May 23, 2024. The teen received the shocking diagnosis after suffering frequent colds, sinus infections she couldn’t shake off, tiredness and weight loss.
At some points, Ayley felt so weak she struggled to stand up. Then, she began fainting, which happened for the first time in her practical nursing exam at Glasgow Caledonian University. Ayley found it difficult to keep food and drink down.
The final straw was when a painful abscess developed under her arm.
Recalling her gruelling symptoms, Ayley said: “At that point I called a doctor. But the appointment was a week away. I couldn’t wait so I went to the NHS out of hours clinic and was given antibiotics which fortunately made the abscess go away. But I kept the GP appointment as I wanted to ask about the fainting episode.”
View 5 ImagesAyley Crawford(Image: Leukaemia UK)
Ayley’s GP ran a blood test, which later confirmed she had acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) with the NPM1-FLT3 mutation At the time, Ayley admitted she thought the worst.
She said: “I fainted when I was told and I just thought straight away that I’m going to die. I immediately had an image in my head of someone very poorly attached to tubes who I thought I would end up like.”
Ayley was transferred to the Beatson Cancer Centre in Glasgow, where she underwent the first of four cycles of IV chemotherapy, followed each time by chemotherapy in tablet form.
She said: “I had a few episodes of nausea and lost some of my hair but I was still in pretty high spirits throughout my treatment. I think I was still in denial. It was a long time away from home stuck in the same room for six weeks at the beginning and then again for my last two cycles but I knew I had to get through it.”
Ayley was told that she was in remission in November that year, however, a routine biopsy later found she had relapsed. She was then told her next step would be a stem cell transplant.
View 5 ImagesAyley during treatment(Image: Leukaemia UK)
She said: “I was so excited to grab normality again. I’d gone back to my old restaurant job part time, went on several holidays and was hoping to go back to uni. Just as everything started to return to normal, I had a routine bone marrow biopsy and they found I’d relapsed.
“I was just devastated that all that work felt like it was for nothing. I remember saying to my auntie before the test ‘I feel great so I’m sure it will be fine’. It was such a shock.”
A match was found with a 21-year-old male donor from Australia. Ayley prepared for the transplant with oral outpatient chemotherapy followed by subcutaneous injections which was still able have as an outpatient.
View 5 ImagesAyley during her stem cell transplant(Image: Leukaemia UK)
In July 2025 she was admitted to hospital in Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where she underwent the transplant. Although the procedure was successful, Ayley faced many health ordeals along the way.
She said: “Going through transplant was honestly the worst thing I’ve ever endured. I was comparing it to my first course of treatment and thought it would be the same but it couldn’t have been more different. Most of it is a blur but I remember feeling spaced out most of the time. I got really bad mucositis – painful inflammation of the mucous membranes lining the digestive tract – so didn’t eat or drink for four weeks which lead to significant weight loss.
“I wasn’t allowed out of my room for five weeks so I wasn’t moving and also I wasn’t well enough to get out of bed anyway. I experienced loss of muscle mass which I am still building back now eight and a half months later.”
Ayley returned home to start a lengthy recovery, supported by her mum and boyfriend Riley. After a lengthy battle with the disease, she is now in remission.
View 5 ImagesAyley is now in remission(Image: Leukaemia UK)
She said: “I am in remission now but the anxiety around relapse never leaves no matter how much I try to ignore it. Thankfully the cells coming from my bone marrow are all the donor’s. I’ve only just started my childhood vaccines which were supposed to be in January but were postponed due to medication side effects. This now means I can mix more and get back to work.
“I’m planning to go back to uni in September 2026 and do some travelling this summer. I was seeing my hospital team and getting bloods taken twice every week but now they have been reduced to every two or three weeks. The constant appointments are draining but I’m grateful that my team keep on top of things.”
She continued: “My experience with leukaemia has impacted my life massively. I was a 19-year-old finding my feet in the adult world after leaving school and going on girls’ holidays. I had just started my dream nursing degree at university and was loving life going out at the weekends with my friends.
“It was all taken away from me in the blink of an eye. I have missed out on two years of uni which I was supposed to be graduating from this year, lots of holidays and countless days/nights out. I feel so behind.
“But the one good thing to come of it all is that I think it will make me a better nurse. I was really glad I was studying nursing as it made the medical terms so much easier and I was actually really interested in what was going on. I could explain it clearly to friends and relatives as I’d had to explain to patients before. Every ward I was on the nurses wanted me to come and join them once I was qualified. So I may go into oncology – although it could be very triggering so I’m not sure at the moment. My main aim right now is to get back to uni and I’m hoping to catch up on all my missed time.”
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