MORE THAN six years after she received lifesaving leukaemia treatment, Larkhall woman Peppie Scobbie still suffers from the repercussions.

The 53-year-old, who has been left with permanent damage to her mouth and gut, bone deterioration and ongoing pain, needs regular blood tests and is due to have a hip replacement.

Peppie has welcomed the recent announcement from Leukaemia UK that it is funding new research which could uncover better, kinder therapies for people affected by this type of blood cancer.

“No one should have to go through what I have experienced,” she said.

READ NEXT: Glasgow surgeon who lost mum to cancer receives £500k funding boost to help survivors

“I hope this important new funding helps to find the treatment options which are so urgently needed to give people diagnosed with leukaemia the chance to live well.” .  

In August 2017, Peppie was struggling with fatigue, had a persistent chest infection, a painful finger infection and was left severely bruised after relatively minor incidents, which are all common warning signs of leukaemia. 

After a series of blood tests, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a particularly aggressive form of the disease. She immediately started chemotherapy, but contracted sepsis and pneumonia and spent three weeks in intensive care in an induced coma.  

Fortunately, after two more successful rounds of chemotherapy, Peppie spent Christmas at home in remission.

She then had two stem cell transplants – the last one leading to another long hospital stay as she contracted Graft vs Host disease, when white blood cells attack the person’s own body. 

“I was speechless when I was diagnosed, even though I now know I was experiencing all the trademark symptoms of leukaemia,” she said.

Peppie in hospitalPeppie in hospital (Image: Peppie Scobbie)

“It’s been a difficult few years having - and continuing to have – treatment. It’s also very hard mentally and I do have days when I cry and ask, ‘why me?’ but I try to snap out of it and keep a positive mindset.”

Peppie, a mother-of-three, had been with her partner Steve for 24 years when she contracted leukaemia. The couple got married in February 2024.

Peppie and StevePeppie and Steve (Image: Peppie Scobbie)

Research and advocacy charity Leukaemia UK awards its coveted £150,000 John Goldman fellowships to a select number of early career researchers every year.

The Fellowships commemorate Professor John Goldman, the renowned haematologist, oncologist, medical researcher and a founder of Leuka, the charity which later became Leukaemia UK. 

Two of this year’s Fellows – Dr Cécile Lopez and Dr Eliza Yankova - will be studying AML, with the hope of improving treatment options for people like Peppie. 

Fiona Hazell, chief executive of Leukaemia UK, said: “We’re delighted to have awarded John Goldman Fellowships to such innovative projects, focussed on improving outcomes for particularly aggressive forms of blood cancer.

“Spear-headed by pioneering early career researchers, these vital insights could unlock the better, kinder and more targeted treatments desperately needed to transform outcomes for patients.”