Bradley Reed - Spreading awareness

My name is Bradley Reed, I am a 26 year old electrician who lives a very active lifestyle through my career, sports and outdoor activities.  

This is my story. After taking possession of my first house on Feb 25th 2021, I began Feeling an unusual amount of exhaustion which was impacting my day to day duties at work as well as at home. I walked myself to the hospital Saturday March 6th where I Received some news that ultimately changed my life forever. After 2 basic blood tests I was Admitted to hospital and transferred to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Three days later I was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Chemotherapy Began Friday, March 12th and I remained in hospital for 28 days.

Ultimately when I got my diagnosis it blew my mind because as a healthy 26 Year old person you don’t think it could ever happen to you. 

Throughout my hospital stay there were many ups and downs as you’d expect going through treatment. What has helped me through this whole process is spreading awareness regarding blood cancer as well as the need for public blood donations. With the help of my family, friends, and extended members I was able to raise just over $26,000 towards blood cancer research with the Oddette Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook. Although we did not hit my goal of $100,000 it still gave me a sense of purpose and assisted in taking my mind off of the day to day struggles.  

Most importantly I encourage everyone no matter your age or health to take care of your body. If something doesn’t feel quite right, take the time to get yourself looked at. It could be the smartest decision you’ve ever made.  

Once I got myself situated and back into the swing of things at home, I reached out to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada to see if there was any need for volunteers. I hope to continue spreading awareness regarding blood cancers and raising money towards research in hopes of one day finding a cure. Thank you for taking the time to briefly read about my crazy few months and I hope there is something to be learned from my experience. Thank you to all the doctors and nurses who kept and continue to keep me optimistic throughout this whole process. It is appreciated and will never be forgotten.