A new lease of life for one man and his dog

It was January 2009 when Selsey-based father of two, Steven Mitchell was diagnosed with Undifferentiated Acute Leukaemia/Lymphoma and told the devastating news that he had just a thirty percent chance of survival.

Following the news in October 2008 that his half-brother had been diagnosed with several forms of cancer, Steven went to his GP for a check-up, and was found to have a golf ball-sized lump in his groin. Then followed a hospital referral and numerous tests, which initially proved inconclusive. The lump was removed for further testing and it was discovered by doctors at St. Richards Hospital in Chichester, that Steven had the rare form of cancer. Usually attacking either the white blood cells or red blood cells, in Steven’s case the condition was attacking both types. Soon presented with a two-year treatment plan, Steven was told that this would start just two days later.

Describing this period as the worst couple of days of his life, Steven had to give up his flooring business and pack his bags for what would be an eight week stay in hospital, unaware of whether or not he would return home. “All of a sudden I was told I may not have long left to live. I felt like I had those two days to get my affairs in order, before I went into hospital, maybe to die. I’ve always managed the finances in our family, so I had to give my wife Carolyn a crash course. I also realised that I hadn’t made a will, so that had to be sorted. But the most difficult thing I had to do, was to write letters to my wife and my two young children, who didn’t know that their daddy might not come home.”

Whilst the team at St. Richards Hospital were able to prepare Steven for a bone marrow transplant, the procedure could only take place at the specialist regional unit at Southampton General Hospital. The hunt began for a donor, but with no suitable family matches, an unrelated donor, who Steven was later told was a 31-year old woman was found.

Post-transplant, a devastating eight weeks were spent in an isolation room on the unit, and during this time he was unable to see his son aged nine and daughter aged four. Fed intravenously, and suffering badly from mouth, throat and stomach ulcers, Steven lost a staggering three-stone in weight, over six weeks.

“It was the worst experience of my life” Steven recalls. ““The first week was bearable, as it was all new and the effects of the chemotherapy had not really kicked in. The next couple of weeks were nasty, but the high doses of morphine meant that I was able to asleep a lot of the time. The last couple of weeks are spent more awake, but the boredom sets in and your attention span completely goes. I am an avid reader, but I found myself picking up a book, reading half a page and having to put it back down again.”

“I felt like I was in a prison cell,” reflects Steven. “The way I looked at it, you do your time in there and just hope that you’re going to make it out at the end.”

Steven was told by doctors to minimise the number of visitors because of his low immune system. However the twice-weekly visits by his mother, who travelled from Salisbury, were a real boost to his spirits. Wife Carolyn also travelled from Selsey as often as possible, whilst juggling looking after the two young children at home.

Steven continued to stay positive during his extensive treatment. “I wouldn’t say that I was brave or strong” says a modest Steven. “I just towed the line and did what I had to do to stay positive for my wife and children. I’m a strong believer that a positive attitude gets you through things like this.”

Unable to go back to his original flooring business due to the dusty conditions, Steven is looking to start afresh, and has booked himself onto a mountain rescue leader course in the hope that he may be able to launch a new career following his passion for the great outdoors. 

To help build up his muscles and strength once again, Steven decided that it would be a good idea to get a dog. Through the Labrador Rescue Foundation, Barley joined the family. Barley started his puppy-days in Dublin, but was sadly abandoned. Now the inseparable pair are enjoying their new leases of life.

Whilst Steven is busy undertaking outdoor challenges, he is still being closely monitored by the medical team at Southampton, and nine months after his transplant has to make regular visits back to Southampton General Hospital, to receive ‘top-up’ doses of chemotherapy and for continuous testing to ensure that the transplant has been successful. This will carry on, on a regular basis for many years to come.

Keen to help others going through a similar ordeal, Steven spends time supporting current patients being treated for similar blood disorders, sharing his experience for the benefit of others. Steven is also keen to support the Red & White Appeal to make a real difference to the lives of haematology patients.

“So many people have done so much for you to try and save your life, and you just feel in their debt” says Steven. “I’m nowhere near out of the woods yet, but once you go through something like this, you really just want to give something back.