After a stem cell transplant, Ashley helps other patients get home

Three years after a stem cell transplant, Sheffield grandfather Ashley Gray remains cancer-free and helps other people get home from hospital. In a newly published account, he describes how gratitude for his treatment led him into non-emergency patient transport.

The former lorry driver, 59, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in January 2023. Chemotherapy and a transplant from an unrelated donor followed at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital.

The NHS explains that transplanted stem cells enable the body to make healthy blood cells after damaged ones are destroyed. Recovery can take up to a year, and complications include infections or donor cells attacking healthy tissue.

Ashley remembers sickness, exhaustion and hair loss. His experience shows what recovery can make possible, rather than guaranteeing the same outcome for everyone.

Returning to his old ward as a transport worker was particularly meaningful. “I really enjoy getting people home and talking to people,” he says. The care he received now carries into the help he gives others.

Sources

• Sheffield Teaching Hospitals — Ashley Gray’s recovery and return to work
• NHS — What is a stem cell or bone marrow transplant?
• NHS — Transplant side effects and complications