Woman, 19, thought she had a cold but it was actually a deadly form of cancer
Kiesha Dosanjh
Featured Image Credit: (Picture: Leukaemia UK / SWNS)
A nursing student who visited her doctor after cold symptoms was told she had a deadly form of cancer.
Ayley Crawford, 21, noticed she had been suffering repeated colds and sinus infections at 19, just as she started her nursing degree at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Alongside this, Ayley was constantly ‘feeling weak and exhausted’. However, when she fainted during an exam that she knew ‘something wasn’t right’.
The teen then went to see her doctor, who took a blood test and referred to University Hospital Wishaw with suspected diabetes.
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However, after several tests, Ayley she was told she diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.
According to MayoClinic, acute myeloid leukaemia (ACL) is ‘a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow,’ which can cause rapid onset of fatigue.
It develops quickly, and requires urgent treatment.
“My first thought was ‘I’m going to die’,” Ayley told SWNS. “I knew something was wrong with me, but I never thought it would turn out to be cancer.”
Due to the aggressiveness of the cancer, the teen started treatment immediately, and underwent four cycles of chemotherapy, in which she experienced side effects including hair thinning and sickness.
AML accounts for around 1 out of 3 leukemias in adults , and for about 1% of all cancers, the American Cancer Society states.
In November 2024, Ayley was told she was in remission, and was planning to go back to university. However, in a devastating turn just months later, in March 2025, she was told she had relapsed, following a routine bone marrow biopsy.
Ayley said it was a ‘complete shock’ as she was feeling completely fine within herself, and was absolutely devastated when she received the news.
This time, Ayley needed a stem cell transplant and fortunately, a donor was found in Australia. She was admitted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow for the transplant in July 2025, and said it was ‘the worst thing she’d ever endured’.
Ayley, who is now in remission almost a year later, had to isolate for three months after the transplant, and suffered horrible side effects from her medication, including rashes and swelling on her eyes.
“I’m so grateful for the treatment I received, but the anxiety around relapse will never leave,” she said.
The 21-year-old said if she had to pull a positive from the situation, it would be that she believes her experience will make her a ‘better nurse’.
"I was really glad I was studying nursing as it made the medical terms so much easier and I could explain everything clearly to friends and family,” she said, and is now considering going in to oncology.
Fiona Hazell, Chief Executive, Leukaemia UK says she’s ‘extremely grateful’ that Ayley shared her story, adding: “Early diagnosis saves lives, so we want to make sure more people are aware of the signs and symptoms, and to contact their GP to ask for a Full Blood Count test if they’re experiencing them.”