Alice Bolton, 28, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), an aggressive blood cancer
A young doctor was given the shocking news that she had leukaemia while on shift in A&E, just an hour after having a blood test for suspected glandular fever at the same hospital. Alice Bolton, 28, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a severe form of blood cancer, in May 2024 while working in an Australian A&E.
Just days before, she had been running up to 20km as part of her training for a half marathon. However, when she noticed swollen lymph nodes in her neck and bruising on her legs, she suspected glandular fever and decided to get a blood test.
In a matter of an hour, she went from being a doctor in the hospital to becoming a patient in a bed. Alice, who splits her time between Surrey and London, underwent chemotherapy and by October 2024, she was in remission. But, she relapsed in March 2025 and was told she would need a stem cell transplant as “this will be the cure”.
Alice and her partner Hayden had plans to tie the knot in June and thought they would “have to cancel” their wedding. However, they managed to organise a ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall within a few days, which turned out to be “so special”.
Alice, a 31-year-old who works at a biotech company, and her sister Kate, a 29-year-old solicitor, have both been identified as perfect matches for a life-saving transplant. Alice is optimistic about the future, saying: “I’m very lucky that I have two sisters who are a match and this will be the cure,” and she’s ready to put her cancer battle behind her. But it makes you realise that even if you are a healthcare professional, these things can still happen.”
After finishing her medical foundation training in the UK, Alice jetted off to Melbourne, Australia, in October 2023 to work as an emergency care doctor with her now-husband Hayden, who’s also in the medical field. While preparing for the Great Ocean Road Half Marathon and running distances of up to 20km, Alice found herself struggling just days before the event in May 2024, unable to run more than 5km.
She noticed swollen lymph nodes and unusual bruising on her legs, prompting her to get checked out. “I noticed that I had swollen lymph nodes in my neck and there was some bruising on my lower legs, and I’m not one to bruise easily, so I thought I should probably get a blood test,” she recounted.
Initially suspecting glandular fever, Alice was in for a shock. The urgency of her situation became clear while she was working a shift. “I was actually on shift, and they literally called me about an hour after I’d had the blood test, saying, ‘You need to go to AandE straightaway’,” Alice recalled. “I said, ‘Oh, that’s weird, because I’m actually here anyway, I work in AandE’.”
Alice, who mistook her symptoms for glandular fever, was stunned when instead of being sent home to avoid spreading the virus, she was told by a consultant that she had leukaemia and needed immediate treatment.
“I was shocked, but the thing I was most concerned about was having to phone home and tell my sisters and my parents because I think that makes it more real,” Alice revealed.
Emma received the news during an expedition and expressed disbelief, stating: “You just never expect it from someone so young and healthy, especially because she was talking about all her running.”
Kate recounted the ordeal of being distant: “Being so far away from her was stressful and shocking, but we all rallied together as a family.”
Diagnosed on May 16, 2024, with AML – which Leukaemia UK reports has only a 22% five-year survival rate – Alice’s story is one of remarkable resilience. Her parents and sisters flew out to be with her in Australia as she faced the tough journey through intensive chemotherapy, enduring hair loss, fatigue, and nausea.
Witnessing her stellar strength, Emma said: “It’s one of the hardest things you can go through, and she was seeing the light in every situation, which, as siblings, makes you feel extremely proud.”
After her initial chemotherapy, Alice mustered the strength to return to the UK in June 2024. She was greeted with warmth and support, receiving what was described as a “Love Actually airport moment” from friends and family.
Alice was overjoyed to be in full remission by October 2024, calling it a “complete relief”. She and her sisters were gearing up for the TCS London Marathon when a routine bone marrow test in March 2025 brought heartbreaking news of her relapse, which Kate found “cruel”.
The fight took an unexpected turn as both Emma and Kate were identified as perfect matches for the stem cell transplant Alice needed. With only a 6% chance of siblings being a full match, according to Anthony Nolan, their compatibility was astonishingly rare.
Kate expressed the wonder of their sibling connection, saying, “We have this deep sister bond and when they said, ‘You three are all a match’, it was really magical,” The setback meant Alice and her fiancé Hayden had to rethink their June wedding plans.
Choosing to take charge, they organised a ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall on March 15, surrounded by more than 70 friends and family. Alice reminisced about the day, calling the wedding “amazing”.
Hayden shared his joy: “On the day, and even the day before, the fact that Alice had relapsed didn’t come into my head once, I was just super excited to marry the love of my life.”
Alice is currently recuperating from her latest chemotherapy session, and if the treatment proves successful, she will undergo a stem cell transplant in May, with her sister Kate donating the stem cells – a revelation that was made with a celebratory cake. Emma and Kate are gearing up to participate in the TCS London Marathon to raise funds for Leukaemia UK, with Alice hopefully cheering them on from the sidelines, holding a sign that reads: “Run my stem cells, run!”
Although her cancer diagnosis means she can no longer join her sisters in the marathon, Alice admits that watching them cross the finish line on April 27 will be “super emotional”. Alice wants to inspire hope in others, and she and her sisters often find solace in a quote from Harry Potter’s Dumbledore: “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
“Having all of your friends and family around you and knowing that, especially now with medical research, things are constantly changing, (cancer) isn’t a death sentence. I think you have to remain positive and things will work out.”
To learn more or make a donation, visit Alice’s fundraising page.
