A young doctor has revealed how his own battle with leukaemia helped shape the way he cares for cancer patients after he was diagnosed just weeks before starting medical school.
Thomas Hunt was 18 when he was told he had an acute form the disease after months of unexplained symptoms.
The diagnosis came during what was supposed to be a gap year before beginning his medical studies.
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Three years of gruelling cancer treatment followed.
Now 26, the Manchester medic is in remission, has completed two marathons and says surviving the disease has made him a better doctor.
“I feel like I’ve got a unique perspective and that comes across in my patient care,” Thomas told Need To Know.
“I know how to communicate really well with patients, whether that be providing explanations, or giving good or bad news.
“I tend to get good feedback that I listen and address problems.”
Thomas had slowly started to feel more and more tired after finishing his A levels, and eventually noticed swollen lymph nodes in his armpit and neck.
He said: “I went on holiday with mates and became really sick with a chest and throat infection.
“When I was away, I started to realise something was really wrong due to how ill I was.
“So I flew home early and saw my GP.
“They initially gave me antibiotics but after two days I was feeling worse, so they saw me again and took bloods which showed pancytopenia.
“My bone marrow wasn’t working, so I was sent to hospital for further tests.
“Just two days later, I was diagnosed with acute leukaemia.”
Thomas began chemotherapy just days after receiving the devastating diagnosis in September 2018.
He said: “I had four rounds each, with different drugs, lasting nine months total.
“From there I went to oral chemotherapy for another two-and-a-half more years.
“Treatment was smooth for me.
“There were few complications and I always had good responses.
“I went into remission in nine months but due to the nature of leukaemia I had to do longer oral maintenance chemotherapy.”
While treatment was successful, Thomas battled fatigue, nausea, brain fog and health anxiety during his recovery.
He said: “It was physically hard for first nine months but once this passed it was easier.
“I got back into running and going to the gym.
“But the mental impact became greater.
“I went to a therapist for the health anxiety I was suffering from.”
Despite everything, he never gave up on his ambition of becoming a doctor.
He said: “What kept me going was my family being amazing and friends always being there for me.
“And also the goal to get to medical school the following year and start my studies, as well as getting into fitness, which I have all achieved.
“I’d already decided to do medicine at school and was planning to attend university after a gap year.
“I was then diagnosed with leukaemia in the summer so I used my gap year attending hospital appointments instead.
“It didn’t change my mind to do medicine at all.”
Thomas eventually completed medical school in June 2024 and has now been working as a doctor for almost two years.
Being both a patient and a medical student gave him a perspective many of his peers did not have.
He said: “I spent years as a patient and I had been on chemotherapy treatment while studying.
“Not only did I have to contend with the mental fatigue of university, but constant worries about my health made things harder, as well as fatigue from the medication side effects.”
Since beating cancer, Thomas has thrown himself into fitness and completed two marathons, raising £8,500 for charity.
He said: “Finishing the first marathon was emotional.
“From barely being able to walk up a flight of stairs to doing that was crazy.
“The second one felt better though.
“I trained harder for it and got my reward with a faster time.
“I loved every minute and want to do more events like this.”
Thomas says the experience transformed his outlook on life.
He said: “I aim to inspire other people going through hard times, whether similar to me or not.
“I take my recovery very seriously but I also love to go out with my mates to the pub and just enjoy the little things.
“It’s also made me stop worrying too.
“I used to overthink a lot, and now I rarely do this.
“It’s definitely chilled me out.”
Thomas believes his own experience of serious illness now helps him connect with patients facing difficult diagnoses.
He is still in remission.
He added: “I had a check up a few weeks ago with no concerns at all.
“Becoming a doctor just felt like what I was meant to do.
“I studied for years and powered through a lot to get to where I am.”
