Fundraiser for woman who died from rare leukaemia

Jonathan Taylor, his family and friends have raised more than £17,000 in memory of Liz

Money is being raised for a leukaemia charity in memory of a woman who died on the same day she was diagnosed with a rare form of the illness.

Liz Taylor, from Desford, Leicestershire, thought her ongoing fatigue was down to a hectic lifestyle.

However, when her condition worsened she was admitted to hospital for tests.

In July last year, the 51-year-old mother of two was told she had acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APML) and died the same day.

Jonathan Taylor said his wife initially went to the optician to enquire about her migraines.

Blurred vision

"There was no problem found with her eyes and she was advised to go to her GP, who gave her a blood test.

"This showed her blood count was very low and she was at serious risk of infection, but no reason could be found other than possibly some kind of virus," he said.

Mrs Taylor went to A&E when the migraines and blurred vision became more frequent and painful.

She was told she had neutropenia - a low number of a particular type of white cells in her blood - but no cause was found.

Her symptoms intensified and she developed severe pain in her chest, a pain in her leg, migraines, further blurred vision and then eventually heavy bleeding.

An MRI scan showed she had marks on her brain and she was admitted to Leicester Royal Infirmary.

It was thought Mrs Taylor had a heart problem and was experiencing small strokes. After two more weeks of tests she suffered a large stroke.

Aggressive cancer

She was given a bone marrow test and on 14 July - the day she died - was diagnosed with APML.

Fiona Hazell, chief executive of Leukaemia UK, said: "APML is a very aggressive, rapidly-developing cancer and, as with other types of leukaemia, the symptoms can be vague and non-specific.

"Often a blood test is insufficient for diagnosis of APML, and further testing - such as a bone marrow biopsy and genetic tests - is required."

Mr Taylor said the family was still struggling to truly accept what happened.

With the help of friends they have raised over £17,000 to support Leukaemia UK.

They are hoping to increase that total at a fundraising golf day at the weekend.

Ms Hazell said the money would be vital to fund research into kinder, more effective treatments and diagnosis.