Sara's leukaemia story

‘One step at a time’: Sara’s leukaemia journey is helping others face blood cancer with hope

When Sara Carter was diagnosed with leukaemia in early 2025, her life changed in an instant. Just weeks earlier, she had been working in her role as drama teacher directing a school production in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), leading rehearsals, keeping active and looking forward to the year ahead.

She had climbed a mountain during the school half-term and considered herself fit and healthy. Cancer was the last thing on her mind. 

Today, following treatment at University College London Hospital (UCLH), including a stem cell transplant and immunotherapy, Sara is using her experience to support others facing blood cancer. 

Through publishing a book based on the journals she kept during treatment, she hopes to reassure patients that, however overwhelming a diagnosis may seem, it is possible to take each challenge one step at a time.

Feeling that something wasn't right

Looking back, Sara says there were very few warning signs.

After returning to school following the Christmas holidays in January 2025, she began to feel unusually tired. During a parents' evening she noticed she looked flushed, her cheeks had become swollen, she was feeling feverish and she struggled to keep warm.

"I'd always been someone with lots of energy," she recalls. "Taking time off work was incredibly unusual for me."

She took three days off and visited a doctor in the UAE. Blood tests showed her white blood cell count was low. After a short course of steroids, she felt much better and quickly returned to work, believing she had simply picked up a virus.

Life carried on as normal, but something still didn't feel quite right.

During the next school break she completed a mountain climb, something that would previously have been well within her capabilities. Afterwards, however, she realised her body wasn't recovering in the way she expected.

"I couldn't quite explain it," she says. "I just knew something wasn't right. I felt more tired than I should have done, and my instinct was telling me that my body was trying to say something."

That instinct proved to be important.

Trusting her instincts

Sara underwent another blood test and shortly afterwards received a phone call asking her to return to hospital immediately. More tests followed, including a bone marrow biopsy. As she waited for answers, her tiredness continued to worsen.

The diagnosis came as a complete shock: leukaemia.

Because the specialist treatment she required was not available in the UAE, Sara was told she had just two weeks to return to London to begin treatment.

"It all happened incredibly quickly," she says. "One moment I was living and working abroad, and the next I was packing up my life and flying back to the UK to start treatment."

Her experience has left her with one piece of advice she believes everyone should remember: Listen to your body and trust what it's telling you.

"Even though my symptoms were quite subtle, I knew deep down that something had changed. If something doesn't feel right, it's always worth getting it checked."

Beginning treatment in London

Sara's treatment took place at University College London Hospital (UCLH), one of the UK's leading specialist cancer centres.

What followed were months of intensive treatment that tested her physically and emotionally. Like many people diagnosed with blood cancer, she faced uncertainty about what lay ahead and had to adjust to a completely different way of living.

Her treatment included chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant and immunotherapy.

By the end of September 2025, after many months in hospital and under specialist care, she was finally well enough to leave hospital and begin the next stage of her recovery. Throughout everything, Sara found herself searching for ways to process what was happening.

Writing through uncertainty

One of the most important tools during her treatment was something very simple: a journal.

Every day, Sara wrote down what she was experiencing, how she was feeling and what she was learning. At first it was simply a way of making sense of events, but over time those journal entries became something much bigger.

They eventually formed the basis of her book, How To Eat An Elephant One Step At A Time.

The title reflects the approach that helped her cope with an experience that often felt overwhelming.

"When you're diagnosed with cancer, the future can feel enormous and frightening," she explains. "You can't solve everything at once. You just focus on today, the next appointment, the next treatment, the next small step."

Drawing directly from the journals she kept throughout treatment, it offers readers a first-hand account of life with leukaemia, exploring not only the physical challenges but also the fear, uncertainty, humour, resilience and hope that accompanied each stage of her journey.

Helping others feel less alone

Although Sara initially wrote for herself, she soon realised her story could help others.

Since publishing the book independently, she has already heard from people going through similar experiences. Several readers have contacted her to say that reading about someone else's journey helped them feel less frightened about what lay ahead.

Knowing that sharing her experience has already brought comfort to others has made publishing the book worthwhile.

"As patients, we often fear the unknown more than anything else," she says. "If my story helps even one person feel less anxious or less alone, then it's achieved exactly what I hoped it would."

Looking forward with hope

Recovery after leukaemia is a journey that continues long after treatment finishes, but Sara is determined that cancer will not define her future.

Instead, she hopes her experience will encourage people to seek medical advice if something doesn't feel right, remind patients that they are not alone, and show that even the biggest challenges can be overcome one step at a time.

Her story is a powerful reminder that every cancer experience is different, but hope, resilience and the support of skilled healthcare professionals, family and friends can make an enormous difference.

For anyone beginning their own cancer journey, Sara's message is simple:

"Take one day at a time. You don't have to climb the whole mountain in one go. Just focus on the next step."

About the book

How To Eat An Elephant One Step At A Time is Sara Carter's first book, based on the journals she kept throughout her leukaemia treatment at University College London Hospital.

The memoir explores the realities of living with blood cancer, the experience of NHS cancer care, the importance of family and support networks, and the resilience needed to navigate diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

Sara hopes the book will provide reassurance and practical encouragement for anyone affected by blood cancer, while helping to raise awareness of the patient experience and life after a cancer diagnosis.

You can order a copy of the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/HOW-EAT-ELEPHANT-BITE-TIME/dp/1066657505