ZAK’S STORY
Zak (17), from Bristol, was 16 when he was diagnosed with Acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APML) in April 2025. He was treated at Bristol Haematology & Oncology Centre and helped by Claire, Jax and Charlie from Teenage Cancer Trust.
Zak, from Bristol, was 16 when things started feeling “off”. His gums began bleeding even though he was, as he put it, “pretty good at cleaning my teeth”. Then came headaches, fatigue, nausea, sickness and two or three nosebleeds a day. Even on a trip to Tenerife he was bleeding on the plane and while on holiday.
Back home, he was working as an apprentice mechanic, but the symptoms kept stopping him in his tracks. “Sometimes I had to stop every half an hour because of a nosebleed, or to take tablets for the headaches, or because I felt sick. My boss would joke I was gearing up to go home sick, not knowing how serious it was.” Eventually, he couldn’t work at all.
Zak went to the GP three times, but the symptoms were put down to glandular fever. After a blood test was finally done, he and his mum were called urgently. “By then I thought I was on my last leg as I was fainting.” At Southmead Hospital, doctors told him they suspected leukaemia. A bone marrow test confirmed it the same day. “I didn’t cry; I just thought, ‘I need to fight this’.”
He was transferred to Bristol Haematology & Oncology Centre, where he was told he had Acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APML). It was a relief to learn it was a rare but more treatable form and wouldn’t require a stem cell transplant. Before starting chemo, he had fertility treatment. “It was challenging at 16, especially when you’re drugged up in hospital and don’t know if it’ll work.”
Zak’s treatment began with an arsenic infusion for five days, followed by twice-weekly infusions over five cycles and Atra (tretinoin) tablets. The initial full dose of Atra was overwhelming. “It was unbearable.” Teenage Cancer Trust Clinical Nurse Specialists Claire and Jax stepped in, asked his consultant to halve the dose, and checked in with him every day that week. “They knew it was affecting my mental health.”
Zak says Claire and Jax became a lifeline. “They said if my parents or I needed anything, we could contact them. It put my mum’s mind at ease knowing she had some back-up.” They visited him whenever he was admitted, helped him navigate frustrations about being restricted, and arranged his treatment so he wouldn’t be in hospital over Christmas 2025.
He also met Charlie, the Youth Support Coordinator funded by Teenage Cancer Trust and Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity. “She’ll come round with sweets, which my stepdad normally eats, but we always have a good chat.” Charlie also organised events on and off the unit, like bowling and pizza nights. “She always chooses activities that are PICC-line friendly so we can all join in.”
Meeting other young people was a huge help. “It’s nice chatting to people who are in the same boat. There’s an army cadet with a great mindset and a girl in outpatients who’s at the same stage of treatment. We talk about what to expect from side effects. My mum listens but she hasn’t experienced it, so talking to others makes a difference.”
The Teenage Cancer Trust unit itself helped him feel more like himself. “There’s a pool table and an exercise bike, and my mum can stay over. I’ve been struggling to sleep, so it’s good to have company.” He also found reassurance talking to other patients, like a boy with two PICC lines who explained what removal felt like and eased his worries.
Zak has now completed his treatment and has started a phased return back into his mechanics apprenticeship. He’s already planning ahead. “I’m looking forward to getting back to the gym and playing rugby, American football and golf. I loved mixed martial arts and can’t wait to get back to that. It helps with diet, discipline and good life values.” He’s also excited as he’s passed his driving test as is able to experience the freedom and independence that this has given him.
As soon as we got to Southmead Hospital, I was told that they suspected that I had Leukaemia. They put a cannula in straight away. They tested my bone marrow, and we knew by 5pm that I did have cancer. I didn’t cry; I just thought: ‘I need to fight this’.
I was supposed to be having chemo this Christmas but Claire and Jax were able to sort it so that it I won’t be in hospital over Christmas.
MENTAL HEALTH
Zak says the emotional impact came later. “I didn’t get upset when I was diagnosed, but it hit me when I couldn’t work or follow my passions. I was a sporty person before, and not being able to do it got to me.” Some activities were off-limits because of his PICC line; others because he simply didn’t have the energy.
He also found it hard when going out didn’t give him the escape he hoped for. “People want to talk about my cancer. I’m open to it, but sometimes you just want a break.”
He credits his mum and girlfriend with helping him open up. “It feels better when I let it all out rather than bottling things up. I always feel like a weight has been lifted.” He hasn’t felt the need for counselling yet, as talking to those close to him works for now.
ZAK’S MUM, JACQUI
Jacqui initially put Zak’s symptoms down to teenage tiredness, adjusting to a full-time job, or a virus. Even an ambulance visit didn’t prompt further tests. She pushed for a blood test on their third GP visit and woke up to missed calls urging immediate contact. “At first, I felt relief because I’d wondered if it was sepsis. But when it sunk in, I crumbled.”
She says Zak coped well at the start but found it hard watching others move forward while he was held back by treatment and his PICC line. Jacqui found Claire and Jax invaluable. “As a mum of a teenager, you think you know how to look after them, but suddenly you’re thrown into a world you don’t understand. Claire and Jax help me learn what’s ok and they take away the panic.”
Being able to stay with Zak on the unit helped her keep a sense of normality. “I can get up in my PJs, make toast in the kitchen and chat to other parents.” Having access to the nurses outside of hospital has also been reassuring. “We’ve never had to call them, but knowing we can is comforting.”
To give back, the family organised a five-a-side football fundraiser through Jacqui’s husband Steve’s (Zak’s Step dad) company, raising £4,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust.
