Niamh Halvey

My name is Niamh Halvey, I am 23 years old and I am from Limerick. I would like the chance to share my story with the public – the story of the day that turned my life around.

In October 2008 I was six months pregnant and had a beautiful five year old daughter Eve-Marie, had just bought my first home, had a great job working for UPC and life couldn't have been better. On the 23rd of October I attended the maternity hospital for a routine check up, all was fine so I went off to work.

About 4 o'clock that day my GP rang me saying they had received my blood test results from that morning and I was advised to go straight out to the Limerick Regional Hospital. So I was wondering to myself - why the regional and not the maternity hospital? I left work straight away..

When I got to the hospital I was in a panic about the baby and everything because I didn't know anything. I was attended to straight away and brought up to a ward by a porter and introduced to Dr McHugh. The doctor brought me into a room and told me that I had Leukaemia.

The feeling at that moment was indescribable - obviously I was in a panic and all I wanted was my mother and my boyfriend by my side to reassure me that everything was ok. I asked the doctor was I going to die and he said at that moment he didn't know. They would have to determine what type of Leukaemia it was and there were other factors. Dr O'Keefe was my consultant and he reassured me about the cure rate of this condition and said they would do everything they could for me. They also told me they might have to have the baby early so I could get treatment and warned me of the risks of the baby being born at only 24 weeks.

At that moment, I said to myself you can either fall to pieces now and go downhill with my thoughts, or you can pick yourself up and everything will be fine. I went home that night and packed my bag  - I was admitted to the Denis Burkitt ward in St. James’s Hospital the next day. The doctors told me I'd have to start treatment asap. With the support of my boyfriend and family I travelled to Dublin.

And as you gather there was a long road to recovery ahead of me, I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.  I started chemotherapy three days after I was admitted to St. James’s, lost my hair, got really ill, all while being pregnant. The consultants reassured me that the chemotherapy wouldn't pass through the placenta. I got over my 1st cycle of chemotherapy and went home for a week before the next cycle (I was to receive four cycles in all). During the whole time my boyfriend, mother and sister were at my side.

When I went back to start the next cycle of chemotherapy at the start of December, I went into labour at 32 weeks pregnant. I was rushed from one hospital to the other - I was brought to the Coombe in Dublin where I was attended to straight away because of my condition and the risks involved with giving birth. Within two hours I was given a caesarean section and on December 2nd, our gorgeous son Ryan was born weighing only 3 lbs 6 oz. He was so tiny and had trouble breathing. He spent time in the intensive care baby unit at the Coombe while I was receiving chemotherapy in the Denis Bukitt ward in St. James’s hospital.

We both spent Christmas and New Years in hospital. The doctor allowed me over to visit Ryan for a couple of hours every day even though I was neutropenic (had no immune system) and had a high risk of infection. On January 4th 2009 we were both discharged from hospital and made our way home to Limerick.

I was sick and weak from chemotherapy but I enjoyed every minute I spent at home with my family that week. I was to receive two more cycles of chemotherapy. The thought of being away from the children, especially the newborn baby, tore me up but it had to be done.

As you can tell my positive thinking and keeping up my spirits with the help of friends and family got me through the tough times. I am now in remission nine months and Ryan is one now - bombing around in his walker as I type! We are both living life to the full and enjoying every moment.

I recently participated in the Dublin ladies mini marathon with a few friends and family and raised €2,000 for the Denis Burkitt ward - I couldn't think of any other way to thank all the staff for the care I received and I will continue to raise funds for the ward - I raised a further €1,200 at Halloween.

I would like to raise awareness of Leukaemia because it is scary the amount of young people getting this disease and the amount of people who take their health for granted. Although experts still can't say what exactly causes this illness there are a lot of factors that could contribute to it.