'I just thought I wasn't sleeping well... I never could have imagined the truth'
14.01.2024 - 06:29
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A dad whose diagnosis was so rare he had more chance of winning the lottery has revealed the moment he was given the devastating news.
Lee Penrose was 31-year-old when he first started feeling unwell, recalling symptoms including low energy, trouble sleeping and breathlessness.
The dad-of-two, who works as a managing director, visited his doctor who advised him to go to hospital where blood tests were carried out.
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Following multiple tests, Lee, from Clitheroe, was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, which is a slow growing blood cancer.
The disease is more common in older people and extremely rare for those under the age of 40 – with doctors telling Lee he had a better chance of winning the lottery than receiving his diagnosis.
“I didn’t buy a ticket that week unfortunately,” Lee, now 45, told the Manchester Evening News. “At that point, it was kind of a bombshell. When it comes through, it hits you. You panic and you don’t know what to do.”
Lee was referred to The Christie hospital where he underwent 12-months of intense chemotherapy with his wife Steph and daughters Mary and Abi by his side.
After being given the all-clear in 2013, Lee was being monitored by The Christie every six months until the cancer returned in late 2021. This time, the condition was more aggressive and needed specialist treatment.
“Ten years followed and I did a lot of travelling with my family,” Lee added. “I really enjoyed life. I was going back to The Christie every six months; you put it to the back of your mind. You feel pretty good.
“In late 2021, once again, some of the symptoms started to return. I went back to my GP, blood tests