'I was the fittest I'd ever been - then a strange metallic taste turned out to be incurable cancer'

Mum-of-two June Kelly was at the “fittest” she had ever been.

The 48-year-old from Micklefield, Leeds, had competed in triathlons and half marathons as well as juggling her time running a cleaning business.

But she was dealt a crushing blow by doctors after she noticed a strange metallic taste in her mouth in March 2021.

She was rushed to hospital after test confirmed it was rare blood cancer myeloma.

She said: “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.

“Being diagnosed with myeloma has taken away so much but it has also made me a stronger person, who no longer worries about the little things and appreciates every day."

Doctors discovered her kidneys were working at just five per cent and she needed urgent dialysis and a transplant.

A week later on March 30 she was dealt a further blow when tests revealed she had myeloma, a cancer affecting the blood and bone marrow.

The condition, which impacts more than 35,000 people in the UK, cannot usually be cured but it can be treated.

She said: “I was getting short of breath when running up hills, finding it hard to get warm and I had this strange metallic taste in my mouth that wouldn’t go away even when I used mouthwash so I went to see my GP.

“I thought it was my asthma or maybe an underactive thyroid, but the doctor did blood tests.

"The next day he told me to get to hospital urgently - my kidneys were failing. It was a huge shock.”

June said telling her family including her son Max, now 25, and daughter Mia, now 20, with the support of her husband Adrian, 57, was one of the hardest things about her cancer diagnosis.

She said: “I don’t think I told people the name of the cancer.

“I had never heard of myeloma.

"We just said it’s a form of cancer and it’s treatable but it will never go away and there were a lot of tears.

"There were questions too but I deliberately tried to restrict the information I read.

"I dealt with it on a need-to-know basis but Adrian read everything.

“I told the doctors: Tell me what to do and I will do it.

"In my head, I knew that whatever happened I needed to be well enough to meet my sister’s baby as she was pregnant and due that year.”

June began chemotherapy the day after her diagnosis, with weekly injections for four months.

She said: “I was lucky that I didn’t really have many chemotherapy side effects apart from slightly blurry vision, and the treatment and dialysis made me feel so much better.

“It made me realise just how unwell I’d been.”

Last September, she underwent a stem cell transplant at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

Due to her cancer, June cannot have a kidney transplant and undergoes dialysis three times a week.

But despite it all, she is determined to live life to the fullest and has bought a campervan with Adrian to explore the UK.

She added: "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.”

June is sharing her story during Myeloma Awareness Week, backing Myeloma UK’s campaign to help others spot warning signs early.

Dr Sophie Castell, Chief Executive at Myeloma UK, said: “The most important thing you can do is get your symptoms checked.

"We know that myeloma can be difficult to diagnose, so bring the Myeloma UK Symptom Translator with you to the GP, ask for answers and get to the bottom of what’s causing your pain, infections or fatigue.

"Know the warning signs, put your health first and help us catch myeloma earlier.”