Survivorship after BMT

Richard survived a bone marrow transplant and its aftermath. He went back to work, only to be made redundant. Now he's launching his own firm.

This is the second half of Richard’s story . The story of his diagnosis with MF and his voyage through bone marrow transplant begins here.

Four years since transplant

It seems so long since ago since I underwent my bone marrow transplant (BMT) – but a recent six-monthly visit to see my transplant consultant reminded me that it was, unbelievably, four years to the month that I had come in for my BMT. I have gone from what was at that time a precarious grip on life to having at age 57 what has probably been the best year of my professional career. It took me a full year after my BMT – and coping with some additional health issues culminating in major spinal surgery – to reach a point where I began to feel much stronger.

Next major decision

I expected to be back at work within four to six months of my BMT, so it was a shock to discover that I would eventually need to be off work for 21 months. The next shock came when I did go back to work. I was made redundant, unsurprisingly, because my former colleagues had managed without me for some time. I was faced with a major decision – whether to look for another full-time role and become an employee again. The downsides would be:

  • Completing a medical questionnaire for an insurance/pension policy…I decided no thank you.
  • Declaring my immediate past medical situation…hardly likely to help me land that plum job.
  • Being made redundant again, something fairly likely given my age…not something I wanted to entertain.

A new business

When I began to look for work the credit crunch had not fully hit home, but it was certainly well on its way, bringing severe competition for any jobs. I mulled over the options, and being a positive sort of person I came to the obvious conclusion: I would set up my own consultancy and become self-employed. This was a big step for someone who had been employed his entire career. But it meant that I would only be answerable to myself, that my medical history was irrelevant, and that I now had a new challenge, that of launching a new consultancy business.

The first year was very tough. After a promising start, nothing much happened, despite a massive effort in networking to meet other professionals in my field. However, over time I had developed a track record in my area of expertise, and my investment in networking was beginning to pay dividends. A year ago my work suddenly took off – and I have never looked back.

Working and playing hard

I now have a new and completely different lifestyle running a one-person business. I really enjoy it. My work is much more varied and stimulating than in the past, where I held one job over many years. I am now back in charge of my life – working hard and playing hard in a way that would never have been possible had I not been forced into making such a monumental decision. I’m a survivor in more ways than one, and I’m happy to be where I am.

It was a shock to discover that I would eventually need to be off work for 21 months.