Leroy's Story

Blood donors give Auckland man a chance at life

After being diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma at 14, you would have forgiven Auckland local Leroy for being bitter about the hand life dealt to him.

But attitude is everything for this remarkable young man, who at only 21 has beaten cancer, earned a Bachelor of Communication Studies and is now Auckland Director for Generation Zero, a youth organisation aimed at cutting carbon pollution in New Zealand.

T-cell lymphoma is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that occurs when T-lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, become cancerous. In Leroy’s case the tumour started in his neck.

Some of Leroy’s symptoms were initially mistaken for asthma; the active teen became tired, lost his appetite and began losing weight before being admitted to Auckland’s Starship Children’s Hospital where Doctors quickly realised something major was wrong.

What followed was three years of chemotherapy, multiple surgeries, countless days in and out of hospital and a whole year off school; but Leroy still thinks he was luckier than some.

“Being from Auckland meant I could go home from hospital at night if I was well enough, something you couldn’t do if you lived further away,” says Leroy. “And I always had my family around me.”

Throughout his illness, Leroy received most of the blood products on offer from New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS). Daily blood tests followed regular transfusions of red cells and platelets, and sometimes plasma products. They were all a part of his life; so much so that Leroy jokes he can now read his own blood test report.

“Blood donors make such a difference to people’s lives, more than most people would ever know,” says Leroy, who described his regular red cell transfusions, which were administered through an IV, as a “type of energy drink.”

“I would go in (to get treatment) feeling all lethargic, but would come out feeling normal again – it made such a difference,” he says.

Despite being in remission, Leroy is unable to donate blood himself but encourages everyone to get involved.

“I will always be grateful to the blood donors who saved my life.”

To find out more about how to become a blood donor to help save the lives of people like Leroy, click here or call 0800 GIVE BLOOD.