Luke’s Story

In October 2022, 20-year-old Luke Malcolmson was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), and within the space of one day, his life was turned upside down. 

Luke had been feeling unwell for a few weeks, where he had been experiencing fatigue, tiredness and unexplained bruising, which he assumed would be down to something like glandular fever. He took himself to the GP to be on the safe side, and following a blood test, he was quickly sent for further testing and unfortunately diagnosed with ALL soon after; he started chemotherapy almost immediately. 

ALL is a type of blood cancer that affects white blood cells - the cells in our bodies that are responsible for fighting and protecting us against infections. Our blood cells - including white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets - are created from stem cells, which are produced in our bone marrow, a soft, spongy material found inside our bones. Usually, our bone marrow will not release stem cells until they have developed into fully functioning blood cells; however in ALL, a large number of white blood cells are released into the bloodstream before they’re ready. As the number of these abnormal cells increase, the number of healthy white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets in the body decrease. This in turn leads to ALL, which can cause an array of symptoms, from feelings of breathlessness to unusual and frequent bleeding.

Treatment for ALL can last over two years, and while Luke undergoes his chemotherapy to kill the cancer cells in his blood, he has and will continue to receive multiple blood products to keep his body healthy enough to go through the cancer treatment. In the space of just five weeks, he has already received over 60 blood products, including whole blood transfusions, platelets, and cryoprecipitate - a treatment created from donated plasma to prevent or control bleeding. The impact blood products have had on Luke’s health so far are profound; his body not only immediately feels better, but Luke feels that he has more energy and is more able to do typical day-to-day tasks. Without the wonderful people out there who donate blood, Luke’s story today would be a lot different.

Before having to receive blood products himself, Luke admits that he had no idea how important blood donation was. Raising awareness about the process and why everyone should donate blood if they can has become extremely personal for Luke, and for this reason, Give Blood 4 Good is so pleased to be able to support and help Luke organise a blood drive.

As a Journalism Student at Glasgow Caledonian University who grew up in Shetland, Luke is hoping to encourage as many people across Glasgow and Shetland to donate blood as possible while he receives treatment for ALL. So if you’re able, we’d love for you to consider donating blood as part of Luke’s blood drive - which you can do so here: www.giveblood4good.org/lukes-blood-drive

Once you have pledged on our website, you will be directed to the Scotblood website where you can create an account and book an appointment to donate blood.

Although there is nowhere in Shetland to donate blood at the moment, it would be wonderful if you would consider booking an appointment during your next visit to mainland Scotland. There are donor centres in Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh and Livingstone - so hopefully wherever you go, you can book an appointment. We know that there are of course a lot of Shetlanders that go to university across the UK, meaning that it’s even easier for you to donate blood regularly. It’s natural to be scared before giving blood for the first time, so if you’d like someone to talk to about the process, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on Instagram (@giveblood4good) and we can answer any questions you might have.

There are so many reasons why someone might not be able to give blood, and if this is you - and you’d still like to do something to help - the Malcolmson family will also taking part in the 2023 Edinburgh Marathon Festival to raise money for The Teenage Cancer Trust, who have been massively supportive of Luke and his family since his diagnosis. You can donate to their fundraiser at the following link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thebonemarrowthonteam

Luke’s story is a powerful example of why we do what we do at Give Blood 4 Good. We’re honoured to be able to help Luke raise awareness surrounding blood donation among his friends and family while he receives his treatment, and hope that as many people as possible will consider getting involved in his blood drive.