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HomeSourcesmirror.co.ukTeacher dismissed 'odd' symptoms as caused by menopause before shattering diagnosis

Teacher dismissed ‘odd’ symptoms as caused by menopause before shattering diagnosis

Emma Leeming was diagnosed with blood cancer in July 2021, just days after her friends had become ‘inconsolable’ when she told them she was experiencing ‘odd’ symptoms

A teacher who dismissed her ‘odd’ symptoms as being down to the menopause, later received a devastating diagnosis that she actually had leukaemia.

Emma Leeming had been battling exhaustion and heavy bleeding, and blamed her symptoms to the pressures of her job and the natural aging process. However, in July 2021, the 42 year old’s health took a rapid downturn, leading to her collapsing and being rushed to hospital by ambulance. Her close friends, Iliana Bebbington-Slater and Nicol Conlan, who had grown increasingly worried about Emma’s condition, were left ‘inconsolable’ upon hearing her diagnosis.

Now, they have rallied around her, joining forces on an awareness campaign after shocking statistics revealed that nearly half of Yorkshire’s population can’t identify any of the most common symptoms of this deadly blood cancer. Ilana, 46, from Huddersfield, has shared a close bond with Emma for 19 years, both professionally as fellow teachers and personally. She recalls the concern she felt during Easter 2021 when Emma confided in her about the unusual symptoms she was experiencing.

Ilana said: “She told me she was bleeding very badly and thought it was the menopause. She said she had other odd symptoms too. I remember saying to her that it sounded strange – it sounded wrong to me; it made me worry.” Emma’s other friend Nicol Conlan, 37, had begun to notice similarly worrying signs. She said: “I noticed Emma wasn’t right back in 2021. She had lost that energy that comes with being well and is needed to teach. She looked exhausted behind the eyes.”

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