June Kelly, a 48-year-old business owner from Micklefield, Leeds, was diagnosed with incurable myeloma in March 2021 after experiencing a persistent metallic taste in her mouth and shortness of breath. Despite being the fittest she had ever been, regularly competing in triathlons and half marathons, these symptoms led to a shocking diagnosis.
From fitness to kidney failure
In March 2021, June noticed she was getting short of breath when running up hills, had difficulty getting warm, and experienced a strange metallic taste that wouldn't go away. Initially attributing it to asthma, she had an asthma review and mentioned the symptoms. The nurse arranged a phone appointment with a GP, who sent her for blood tests. 'I thought it was my asthma or maybe an underactive thyroid, but the doctor did blood tests,' she recalls. 'The next day he told me to get to hospital urgently – my kidneys were failing. It was a huge shock.'
At York Hospital, doctors discovered her kidneys were working at just 5% function, requiring urgent dialysis and a transplant. 'I had a neck line fitted the following day and two hours of dialysis,' June says. 'It felt like my life was coming crashing down.' The metallic taste was later attributed to her failing kidneys.
Diagnosis of incurable myeloma
A week later, on March 30, 2021, tests revealed she had myeloma, an incurable cancer affecting the blood and bone marrow. Myeloma affects more than 33,000 people in the UK. It is treatable in most cases but has no known cure, meaning treatment can lead to remission but the cancer will inevitably return. Key symptoms include persistent pain, fatigue, recurrent infections, fragile bones, kidney problems, shortness of breath, headaches, and more.
June began chemotherapy the day after diagnosis, with weekly injections for four months. 'When I was told it was myeloma it completely blew my world apart,' she says. 'I was the fittest I’d ever been in my life and I’d gone from feeling a bit tired and having a strange taste in my mouth, to being told my kidneys were failing and then that I had incurable blood cancer.'
Telling her children and treatment journey
Telling her son Max, now 25, and daughter Mia, now 20, was one of the hardest parts. Her husband Adrian, 57, chose to read everything about myeloma, while June deliberately restricted information to protect her mental health. 'I told the doctors: “Tell me what to do and I will do it,”' she says. Her goal was to be well enough to meet her sister's baby, who was due that year.
After diagnosis, a CT scan showed a fracture in her lower back and lesions in her pelvis, hips, and ribs. She initially had a bone strengthening infusion but switched to an injection every six months due to concerns about dialysis. Fortunately, she experienced few chemotherapy side effects, and treatment made her 'feel so much better'. 'It made me realise just how unwell I’d been,' she explains.
Stem cell transplant and ongoing care
In September 2022, she underwent a stem cell transplant at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. After 100 days, her bone marrow was checked, and she started maintenance chemotherapy in tablet form, taken for 21 days followed by a week off. Due to her cancer, she cannot have a kidney transplant and undergoes dialysis three times a week.
June has sought support from other cancer patients. 'I didn’t want to get involved with support groups at the beginning of my diagnosis but as things have gone on it helps to connect with people going through the same thing,' she says. She also confides in her sister-in-law, who also has blood cancer, about feelings of anger.
Living life to the fullest
Despite challenges, June is determined to live fully. She and Adrian bought a campervan to explore the UK, even making it to the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness, stopping for dialysis in Inverness. 'It’s harder going on holiday because of dialysis but we had always said we would get a motorhome when my husband retired so we have done that early. I enjoy the good days and just get through the bad.'
Focusing on family milestones gave her something positive to hold onto. 'The first year my goal was to see my niece born, this year I wanted to see my son graduate and niece start school and next year I want to see my daughter graduate.'
A changed outlook
Cancer has changed June's perspective. 'I was always a very nervous person and didn’t like upsetting people. Now, if I don’t want to do something I just don’t. I don’t worry about little things. Myeloma has taken away so much but also has made me a stronger person, who no longer worries about the little things and appreciates every day.'
