Sharron Clarke put fatigue and night sweats down to menopause (Image: Leukaemia Care/SWNS)
A woman who attributed exhaustion and night sweats to the menopause received a diagnosis of aggressive blood cancer. Sharron Clarke, 54, led a perfectly healthy and active lifestyle despite feeling “tired and a bit sweaty”, but dismissed the symptoms as menopause-related.
Yet hours following a hiking expedition, Sharron found herself battling for survival in hospital after experiencing severe chest pain. The bed factory worker was rushed to A&E with suspected heart failure.
By the close of that very day, she had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) – an aggressive blood cancer she, like numerous others, had never linked with her age or symptoms. Sharron underwent intensive chemotherapy and additional treatments which left her extremely unwell – even at one stage causing bleeding behind her eyes due to low platelet levels, which resulted in lasting vision damage.
Thankfully, she achieved remission as a consequence – and continues on maintenance treatments until 2027 – as she shares her experience to raise awareness of leukaemia symptoms.
Mother-of-two Sharron said: “I was completely fine that morning. I’d been up at half three with friends, climbing Catbells for sunrise. I felt mostly healthy, active – nothing about me said ‘seriously ill’.
Hours after after a hiking trip, Sharron was fighting for her life in hospital (Image: Leukaemia Care/SWNS)
“I’d never been ill in my life apart from the odd cold. So when I started feeling tired and a bit sweaty, I just thought it was my age. I didn’t go to the doctor. I just assumed it was menopause.
“I didn’t think leukaemia would ever be something I’d get. I thought it was a childhood illness or something that happened to older people.
“It could have gone very differently. I know how lucky I am.”
Sharron Clarke lived a perfectly healthy and active life besides feeling ‘tired and a bit sweaty’ (Image: Leukaemia Care/SWNS)
Sharron had no symptoms or health concerns prior to the hiking trip on July 26, 2025, when she set off to climb Catbells mountain in Cumbria alongside friends. However, when she began experiencing severe chest pains, an ambulance was summoned and paramedics rushed her to hospital, initially suspecting a heart attack.
She was blue-lighted to hospital, where tests revealed the chest pain she had experienced was actually bone pain caused by the leukaemia. Within days, Sharron was transferred to Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital, where she began intensive chemotherapy, and a course of doxorubicin, the chemotherapy drug known as the “red devil”.
She said: “You’ve only got two choices. Sit and feel sorry for yourself, or fight it. I chose to fight.”
Having been in remission since September 2025, Sharron has returned to her role at a local bed factory on reduced hours, after initially being signed off for a longer period. She is also gradually rebuilding her fitness, getting back into walking and running where possible — including completing a 5km run, albeit with breaks.
She said: “At the moment things are good. I’m in deep remission. I just hope it stays that way.”
Sharron found the phrase ‘be a warrior, not a worrier’, once said to her by a nurse, to be very motivating.
Sharron Clarke (Image: Leukaemia Care/SWNS)
She went on to say: “There’s no point worrying about things that haven’t happened yet. You just have to stay strong and take each day as it comes.”
Colin Dyer, chief executive of Leukaemia Care, said: “Sharron’s story perfectly illustrates why our Spot Leukaemia campaign matters. She was a fit, active woman who thought her symptoms were simply part of the menopause. Within hours of climbing a mountain, she was being told she had an aggressive form of blood cancer.
“Leukaemia doesn’t discriminate, and its symptoms are often easy to dismiss. That’s why raising awareness is so vital. The sooner people recognise the signs and seek help, the sooner they can receive potentially life-saving treatment. We’re incredibly proud of Sharron for sharing her experience and helping others understand that if something doesn’t feel right, it’s always worth getting checked.”
