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Kirsteen Martin will join around 25 friends and family members for this year’s 10k walk – exactly ten years after her stem cell transplant.
A Paisley mum who was given a life-threatening diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia is preparing to mark ten years since her life-saving stem cell transplant by taking part in Beatson Cancer Charity’s Off the Beatson Track.
PICTURED: Kirsteen Martin
Kirsteen Martin, 58, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in May 2016, after initially visiting her GP with a sore throat and feeling unwell. She was subsequently admitted to the Royal Alexandra Hospital, where she was diagnosed before being admitted to The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre
After undergoing chemotherapy, Kirsteen was told she would need a stem cell transplant. Her younger sister, Paula, was found to be a 100 per cent match and became her donor.
Kirsteen received her stem cell transplant on 30 August 2016 – exactly ten years before this year’s Off the Beatson Track.
To mark the milestone, around 25 of Kirsteen’s friends and family will join her for the six-mile fundraising walk, which takes place on the same day as the anniversary of her transplant.
Kirsteen said: “I can't believe it's ten years. I feel lucky every day. Lots of people who were in hospital with me weren't as lucky, so the fact that the treatment worked for me, and that I had that support from Beatson Cancer Charity, means so much.”
When Kirsteen was undergoing treatment at The Beatson, the charity’s Wellbeing Centre became an important part of her routine, giving her somewhere to escape the clinical environment and find a sense of normality during an incredibly difficult time.
She said: “The fact that the Wellbeing Centre was there meant so much to me. My whole life had been flipped on its head, and it gave me that normality.”
Kirsteen would spend as much time as she could in the centre during her treatment, describing it as somewhere she could close the door and feel as though she was simply sitting in a coffee shop, rather than being in hospital.
She said: “There was nobody sitting there with me with beeping drips. It made you feel as though you were kind of normal. You could close the door on the Wellbeing Centre and it was as though you were just sitting in a coffee shop, reading your book or watching TV.”
The support Kirsteen received inspired her to become a long-standing supporter of Beatson Cancer Charity. She has taken part in Off the Beatson Track every year since her original team came together to raise money for the charity while she was undergoing treatment.
PICTURED: Kirsteen and Bella Beatson
Her first experience of Off the Beatson Track came in 2016, while she was receiving treatment in hospital. Although she was unable to walk or see the walkers from where she was being treated, she knew her family and friends were taking part and raising money in her name.
Kirsteen said: “They My sisters, Andrea and Paula got a big team of people together and raised money for the walk. Ever since then, I've done it every year with various friends.”
Ten years on, Kirsteen is looking forward to completing the route surrounded by the people who have supported her throughout the years.
She added: “I'm really looking forward to doing it with everyone. There will be about 25 of us, and it will be bang on the tenth anniversary of my stem cell transplant.”
For Kirsteen, the milestone is also particularly significant because of her daughter, Lara, who was just 11 when her mum was diagnosed.
One of Kirsteen’s biggest hopes during her treatment was simply to see her daughter grow up. Today, Lara is 21, engaged and preparing for her wedding.
Kirsteen said: “The thing that I most wanted out of it was for my daughter to be grown up. She's now 21, she's engaged and they're getting married in two years. I got what I wanted – to see her growing up.”
Kirsteen continues to support Beatson Cancer Charity in a number of ways, having also helped with initiatives supporting people affected by cancer in the workplace and organised fundraising activities over the years.
She said: “I'll continue to be supportive for the rest of my life because of the impact it had on me.”
Off the Beatson Track is a 10k sponsored walk through Glasgow, bringing together people of all ages and abilities to raise vital funds for Beatson Cancer Charity.
Kirsteen said the event is accessible to everyone, with families, children, dogs and people of all fitness levels taking part.
She said: “You don't need to be super fit to take part. It's quite an easy walk and it's open to everybody of all fitness levels. Everyone's really friendly, and it's a massive sea of yellow.”
As she prepares to take those six miles alongside the people closest to her, Kirsteen says the anniversary is a chance to reflect on just how far she has come.
She said: “I have a really great life. I have my daughter, a wonderful partner and great friends and family. I feel as though I'm lucky every day.”
Over the last twelve years, more than 25,000 superstars have laced up their trainers and stomped out a whopping 200,000 miles, turning the West End into a glowing sea of sunshine yellow.
Maisie McCormick, Community Fundraising Manager at Beatson Cancer Charity, said: “Off the Beatson Track is such a special event in the Beatson calendar, and it’s incredible to think that more than 25,000 people have come together over the last twelve years to show their support. Every single person who takes part has their own reason for walking, whether they’re remembering someone they love, supporting a family member or celebrating a milestone. Seeing the West End transformed into a sea of yellow is always incredibly moving, and we can’t wait to welcome even more superstars this year and make it another unforgettable day for our Beatson community.”
