‘My sister's kindness saved my life'

After her husband left her and she was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, London mum-of-three Lisa Jackson hit rock bottom. But her sister’s love gave her renewed hope

- KIRSTEN JONES

'A year before my diagnosis I was living the dream in Barnes with my husband and three girls, but he walked out on us after having an affair. After I got over the initial shock I decided to throw myself into the dating scene and met Simon, who works in TV, on Match. We instantly hit it off and went to Paris together just a few weeks into our relationship. But a few days later I woke up thinking, “I don’t feel right.”

I had pain in my chest when I took a breath but thought it was trapped wind I needed to belch out. Then my chest got tighter and tighter, so Simon called NHS Direct. Fearing a heart attack, they sent out a paramedic – but they thought I’d pulled a muscle. Being in a new relationship, I felt a bit embarrassed.

At the time, I had a lump in my breast and my groin but I didn’t dream it was connected. I was going to see the doctor about it during half-term, which was only a week away. Two days later I was vomiting. Simon dragged me to the GP – who ended up saving my life. I’d have been dead in a week otherwise. I was sent straight to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where staff put me on a ventilator to treat pneumonia.

My white blood cells alerted the medics to a few possible illnesses. Then Simon asked what the worst case was. “Leukaemia,” he was told.

I was really ill but I thought no, it couldn’t possibly be leukaemia. It was Tuesday, and on Saturday I’d been absolutely fine.

Simon admits he knew as soon as the doctor arrived that something was very wrong. The doctor said it was the worst possibility. I had acute myeloid leukaemia (an aggressive cancer of the white blood cells).