In March 2024, the Glasgow Caledonian University nursing student was settling into campus life, studying, socialising with friends and spending time with her boyfriend Riley.
But as the weeks went on, Ayley became plagued by constant colds, sinus infections and extreme fatigue.
Ayley during stem cell transplant (Image: Supplied)
The now 21-year-old recalled: “I was feeling tired all the time and sometimes I was so weak I could barely stand.
“When I fainted during a practical exam at university, I just knew something wasn’t right.”
Alongside the exhaustion and infections, Ayley struggled to keep food and drink down and developed a painful abscess under her arm.
Worried, she went to her GP, who carried out blood tests and referred her to University Hospital Wishaw with suspected diabetes.
It would be weeks before she finally got an answer – and it was far worse than she imagined.
Ayley was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), an extremely aggressive form of blood cancer which requires urgent treatment.
Nearly 80% of people diagnosed with AML in the UK will not survive beyond five years.
Ayley said: “My first thought was ‘I’m going to die’.
“I knew something was wrong with me, but I never thought it would turn out to be cancer.”
She was immediately started on intensive treatment, undergoing four cycles of chemotherapy.
She said: “My hair thinned and I felt sick all the time.
“It was hard to be away from home, but I was honestly in quite good spirits throughout my treatment, thanks to the staff at the Beatson.
“I kept thinking, I just need to get through this and then I’ll be able to get back to my life.”
In November 2024, Ayley was told she was in remission.
She started to rebuild her life – getting a part-time job, going on holiday and planning a return to university the following year.
But just as things were looking up, she was hit with devastating news.
In March 2025, a routine bone marrow biopsy revealed the leukaemia had returned.
She said: “I was devastated, I felt like everything I went through with my treatment had been for nothing.
“I’d been saying to my family that I was feeling so well, it was a complete shock.”
Doctors told Ayley she would need a stem cell transplant.
Ayley during treatment (Image: Supplied)
A match was found with an anonymous donor in Australia, and in July 2025, she was admitted to Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for the procedure.
She said: “Going through a transplant was honestly the worst thing I’ve ever endured.
“I had ulcers in my digestive tract, which led to significant weight loss.
“I wasn’t allowed out of my room for five weeks, but my mum, Riley and my friend Melissa were able to visit.
“They were my only three visitors allowed.”
After the transplant, Ayley returned home to begin a long, difficult recovery. She had to isolate for three months and was left extremely weak.
She said: “Even walking from my bedroom to the bathroom next door felt too much.
“The medications I needed to take gave me horrible side effects like rashes and swelling on my eyes.
“It was very hard for me dealing with how I looked as a young woman at the time.”
Despite the physical and emotional toll, Ayley credits her family and friends with helping her through.
She said: “Thankfully, I had my family and friends, who supported me greatly.
“I slowly started to recover and was able to celebrate Christmas 2025, which was so special.”
Ayley and boyfriend Riley (Image: Supplied)
Now in remission again, Ayley is looking to the future. She hopes to travel this summer before returning to university in 2026 to pick up her nursing degree.
She admitted: “I’m so grateful for the treatment I received, but the anxiety around relapse will never leave.
“My experience with leukaemia has impacted my life massively.
“I was a 19-year-old finding my feet in the adult world, and it was all taken away from me in the blink of an eye.
“I was supposed to be graduating this year, and I’ve missed countless experiences with friends.
“I feel so behind.
“But the one good thing to come of it all is that I think it will make me a better nurse.
“I was really glad I was studying nursing as it made the medical terms so much easier, and I could explain everything clearly to friends and family.
“Every ward I was on, the nurses wanted me to come and join them once I was qualified.
“So, I may actually go into oncology.
“But my main aim right now is to get back to university and to catch up on all my missed time.”
Ayley is now sharing her story as part of efforts by Leukaemia UK to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of the disease, which can often be vague and easily dismissed.
Ayley before diagnosis (Image: Supplied)
Every day, 28 people in the UK are diagnosed with leukaemia, but many don’t recognise the warning signs.
The most common symptoms include extreme tiredness, bruising, unusual bleeding and repeated infections.
Fiona Hazell, Chief Executive of Leukaemia UK, said: “Many people aren’t aware of the signs and symptoms of leukaemia until they or someone they know is diagnosed.
“We are so grateful to Ayley for sharing her story and helping to raise awareness of what to look out for.
“Early diagnosis saves lives, so we want to make sure more people are aware of the signs and symptoms, and to contact their GP to ask for a Full Blood Count test if they’re experiencing them.
“Together, we can stop leukaemia from devastating so many lives.”
