Thomas Hunt was 18 and enjoying a gap year before beginning his medical studies when he started to feel increasingly tired and noticed swollen lymph nodes in his armpit and neck. It was not until a holiday with his friends that he realised how unwell he had become.
Holiday health scare
“I went on holiday with mates and became really sick with a chest and throat infection. When I was away, I started to realise something was really wrong due to how ill I was,” said Thomas. He flew home early and saw his GP, who initially gave him antibiotics. After two days, feeling worse, he returned for further tests. Bloods showed pancytopenia, indicating his bone marrow was not working. He was sent to hospital, and two days later, in September 2018, he was diagnosed with acute leukaemia.
Treatment and recovery
Thomas began chemotherapy just days after diagnosis. After three years of gruelling treatment, he is now in remission. He battled fatigue, nausea, brain fog and health anxiety during recovery. “I feel like I’ve got a unique perspective and that comes across in my patient care. I know how to communicate really well with patients, whether that be providing explanations, or giving good or bad news. I tend to get good feedback that I listen and address problems,” he said.
Never giving up on medicine
Despite the challenges, Thomas never gave up on his ambition to become a doctor. “What kept me going was my family being amazing and friends always being there for me. And also the goal to get to medical school the following year and start my studies, as well as getting into fitness, which I have all achieved,” he said. He finished medical school in June 2024 and has now been working as a doctor for almost two years. Since beating cancer, he has completed two marathons, raising £8,500 for charity.
“I aim to inspire other people going through hard times, whether similar to me or not. I take my recovery very seriously but I also love to go out with my mates to the pub and just enjoy the little things. It’s also made me stop worrying too. I used to overthink a lot, and now I rarely do this. It’s definitely chilled me out,” Thomas added.
