A Co. Armagh father of two has been sharing the story of his wife’s fight against blood cancer to help highlight the importance of supporting local medical research funded by Leukaemia and Lymphoma NI.
Alison and Barry Williamson and their two young children Rhys and Mya lived in Tandragee.
Alison was a much-loved member of her community. She worked as a classroom assistant at Tandragee Primary School and was well-known for her enthusiasm, energy and mischievous sense of humour.
She had a zest for life and was fiercely positive, no matter what challenges life threw at her.
“Alison was pretty much just the perfect person,” explained Barry. “She was truly an inspiration to everyone that knew her. Her family was her life but she was always helping others.”
Towards the end of 2014, Alison began to feel unwell. She saw her weight drop rapidly.
“Alison really started behaving out of character. Often she would come home from school and need to lie down. She was constantly feeling drained and was sleeping more and more. That’s when we went to the doctor.”
Alongside the fatigue, Alison started experiencing pain in her abdomen. Eventually she underwent an operation to remove her spleen.
“At that point, we thought she had started to turn a corner” said Barry, “we were hopeful that might be it and we had found the root of the problem.”
Unfortunately, in August 2015, after several more tests, the family received news of Alison’s diagnosis of Hepatosplenic T-cell Lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer.
“When we received the news, Alison was steadfast and determined. Whilst I sat there in the room distraught, she simply said ‘Ok, I’m going to fight this.’
“That’s what kind of person she was. Sharing the news with our two children was obviously a very difficult thing to have to do, but Alison was unwaveringly positive.”
After her diagnosis, Alison endured 50 days of chemotherapy and eventually was earmarked for a stem cell transplant.
“It became a race against time to find a matching donor. Everyone in our family and friends got tested. Both Alison and I were very lucky to have such close supportive families and friends and everyone rallied round us.
“As always, Alison took on the news of the transplant head on.”
Alison was treated at Craigavon Area Hospital, then moved to Dublin and then finally brought back to Belfast City Hospital. At one stage she was taking 53 tablets a day.
“She never complained” said Barry, “it wasn’t in her nature. She was prepared to do whatever it took, and to undergo any treatments available, to give her the chance to spend more time with her family.”
However, on May 14, 2016, in the Intensive Care Unit of Belfast City Hospital, and nine months after her initial diagnosis, Alison died.
“She never gave up the fight and up until her last day I was still holding hope that she would pull through, but her body just simply couldn’t take any more.
“Alison is, without doubt, sorely missed by us and those close to her. When grief comes into your life it stays day and night. I found strength from my two children.
“They didn’t want to see me so sad all the time. They were grieving too and I had to make life good for them and teach them, as best I could, how to live life and find joy in things.
“That is why the charity and the work I try to do will make a difference to others. I take inspiration from my late wife and the fight she put up to live, and I hope she is proud of me for that.”
Since her passing, Barry, his friends and his family decided that raising money for Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI was the best way to honour her memory.
“It was Alison who started the charity work before she died, so it seemed only right to continue with it after she passed.
“Since then we’ve climbed the four highest peaks in the UK in the space of 48 hours and scaled part of the Alps, moving through three countries across three consecutive days.
“We’ve done glass walks, fire walks, moonlight walks, held gala charity balls and staged mega balloon releases.
“Friends held coffee mornings and my then Rector, Dean Forster and Ballymore Church all supported me, the children and the charity in so many ways.
“Alison’s Mum and friend did a sky dive, the school where Alison worked staged various fundraising events and we have done so many other things with the help of family and friends, too many to mention.
“Throughout it all, we’ve felt closer to Alison – it’s kept her with us. The fundraising is something we plan to continue and we hope others will consider donating or running their own fundraising activities.
“It’s such a worthy cause and the charity is funding crucial research.”
The money raised by Barry and his friends and family funded the Alison Williamson PhD Studentship in 2017, leaving a lasting legacy in blood cancer research.
Dr Harmony Black completed her PhD in Repair Mechanisms in 2020 and is now working as a clinical scientist in the haematology department at Belfast City Hospital where she plays a vital role in screening and analysing patient samples.
Leukaemia and Lymphoma NI recently announced a special programme of activities to mark the 60th year of the charity and to raise funds for the fight against blood cancer.
Alongside this, the charity is calling for those who have experienced Leukaemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma or other blood cancer, and their loved ones, to share their experiences online via the LLNI website.
The photos and extended captions gathered will form part of a special canvas presented online where members of the public can read the stories of people affected by blood cancer across the region.
Throughout September, LLNI is holding a series of fundraising activities, culminating in the charity hosting a Black Tie & Diamonds Gala Ball at Titanic Belfast, where the winner of an ongoing raffle for a diamond pendant necklace will be selected at random.
Members of the public can share their story, make a donation or buy tickets for the diamond necklace raffle on the Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI website – www.llni.co.uk
