Terence Moore is now enjoying life again (Image: Terence Moore)
Miraculous Terence Moore is writing a book about ‘hope’ and ‘our amazing NHS‘ – after surviving three cardiac arrests, deep vein thrombosis, a heart attack, a stroke and cancer twice. Retired council HR manager Terence Moore, 75, of Chester, suffered his first major health battle in 2005 when stricken with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) that had spread to his lungs, something that only one in three people survive.
A few years later, his blinding headaches turned out to be a cerebral venous thrombosis stroke, which took a year to recover from – then in 2013, he was told he now had a rare cancer, AL (light amyloidosis). He went into remission thanks to a stem cell treatment, but that triggered three cardiac arrests in one day and a separate heart attack – before Terence enjoyed a decade of health until AL returned again in 2024.
Terence with The Christie’s Dr Faye Sharpley (right) (Image: The Christie)
Now, after finally going into remission for a second, and he hopes for the final time, Terence has started penning a book about his health journey to inspire others to never give up.
Terence told us: “I’ve had more hospital appointments than I can count. I have a really positive attitude, which definitely makes a difference.
“I’m now writing a book about my experience and want to spread a bit of positivity and bring hope to others who are going through adversity,” he says.
“I’ve been through so much in my life, but I’m still here and am positive about the future. I’m so grateful to the NHS for saving my life so many times.”
Terence, who started dating his wife Lynette 42 years ago and they married in 2008, has no children but throughout his life has worked as a teacher, a dancer, a musician, an actor, a charity volunteer and an HR manager.
He has been trained in traditional Chinese medical herbs and acupuncture and is the co-author of a book on Tibetan medicine.
But alongside his colourful life for the last two decades, he has suffered and survived a string of potentially deadly health conditions.
The keen gardener first fell ill back in autumn 2005 when walking to work at his local council in Chester, and feeling a sharp pain in the back of his leg.
He was very active at the time, so he put it down to that, but when he started to get pain in his lungs, he knew there was something wrong.
Terence harvesting stem cells to battle cancer. (Image: The Christie)
“I called my friend, who was a nurse, and she told me to go to A&E as soon as possible. It turned out that I had deep vein thrombosis (DVT) that had spread to my lungs, something that only one in three people survive.
“I phoned my friend back, and it turned out that her partner had had the same thing and unfortunately hadn’t survived.
“Like with the doctor who later diagnosed me with amyloidosis, I felt very lucky to have experienced medical professionals in my corner.”
Terence was put on warfarin temporarily, but after coming off it experienced yet another serious complication.
He explained: “A year after my experience with DVT, I was getting bad headaches. It came to a head when I tried to turn on my computer at work and couldn’t remember how.
“It got worse by the time I got to the hospital – my words were starting to fail me, and I could only remember three people in my life.
“I was diagnosed with a cerebral venous thrombosis on the left-hand side of my brain. If it had been on the right, which is responsible for movement, I might have been left in a wheelchair. It took me a year to fully recover, but recover I did.”
Terence’s experience with amyloidosis started in 2013 when his legs, wrists and ankles started to swell.
He told us: “I went to A&E and, even though amyloidosis is rare, the doctor I saw had worked at The National Amyloidosis Centre in London and knew what he was looking at, so it was caught early. Not everyone is so lucky in that regard.”
Terence was initially treated with a stem cell transplant, where high-dose chemotherapy is delivered to destroy abnormal cells within the bone marrow before healthy cells are reintroduced – it put him into remission, but with a cost.
While rare, cardiac arrests can occur during or after the procedure due to high-dose chemotherapy, infections, or severe electrolyte imbalances – Terence had three in one day, and then a heart attack.
He said: “I was just coming to terms with the fact that I was living with this rare condition that could potentially be damaging my organs, and then, during treatment that was designed to save my life, I had three cardiac arrests.
“I ended up in hospital for 46 days,” he says. “Although it was a difficult and trying time, I don’t regret it for a moment as it gave me 12 years in remission.”
AL amyloidosis occurs when misfolded proteins form amyloid fibrils that deposit and build up in the organs and tissues. If left untreated, it can cause life-threatening organ damage.
Terence with wife Lynette (Image: Terence Moore)
Terence’s amyloidosis went into remission until 2024, when he started treatment with four different drugs at The Christie hospital in Manchester. He is now in remission again and due to finish treatment in February next year.
He said: “The treatment worked quickly, which was great, but it didn’t come without side effects. The steroids I was on were causing hypertension and problems with my sleep.
“Dr Faye Sharpley, my consultant, was brilliant. She listened to what I was saying, reviewed my case, and told me I was able to stop taking the steroids.
“Later, when she saw that I was responding so well to treatment, I was able to go down to just having one drug. She always saw me as a full person and not just a diagnosis, which made all the difference.”
He’s currently having treatment at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust’s local cancer treatment centre in Macclesfield, Cheshire.
Terence is now starting to write a book about his life and health experiences, and looking back, credits his positivity and the NHS for still being alive.
He went on: “From Dr Sharpley to the nurse in Liverpool who kept coming back to sit with me while I was in hospital, I’ve been under the care of so many brilliant people, and I really can’t say thank you enough.
“They not only saved my life but also supported me emotionally through some very difficult times.
“No one knows what the future holds, but I’m just taking each day as it comes. What I’ve been through has changed me as a person.
“If there is one piece of advice that I could give to others facing adversity, and this is the main message I’m trying to get across in my book, it is that a positive attitude can really make a difference. It certainly has for me.”
