A woman who was prescribed antibiotics for tonsillitis after getting a sore throat ended up learning she had a rare form of leukemia.
Rowan Bland, 28, began feeling run down and developed a sore throat in February 2025, which was diagnosed as tonsillitis.
But antibiotics didn’t work, and she began to develop random bruises as well as bleeding gums and blood blisters in her mouth.
She was given a blood test which was expected to reveal she had glandular fever – but she was sent straight to A&E.
She was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia.
She started treatments straight away – finishing her final course of chemotherapy in November 2025, and her most recent biopsy showed no evidence of the disease.
Rowan, who was 27 when she was first diagnosed, is now sharing her story to urge other young people not to dismiss persistent or unusual symptoms – after admitting she previously thought leukemia was “for babies” and that “cancer is always like a lump.”
Rowan, a creative writing student from Edinburgh, but studying in Glasgow, said: “I didn’t know anything about leukemia.
“I was pretty happy with the assumption of glandular fever because a lot of unspecified illness in people my age, I thought, kind of tracks.
“I just think that there’s a bit of a misconception that leukemia is for babies.
“And cancer is always like a lump. That was my mindset.
“Just because you’re young, it doesn’t mean you can’t get a serious illness. I was a bit naive in my health. I just took it for that.”
After antibiotics didn’t improve what her GP believed to be tonsillitis, Rowan’s health continued to deteriorate.
She began getting random bruises and red cluster rashes on her skin, alongside feeling extremely fatigued and dizzy when walking.
She said: “I was feeling worse and worse.”
Her sore throat became so severe that she struggled to eat, while she also developed bleeding gums, blood blisters in her mouth, heavy periods, night sweats and significant weight loss.
Rowan returned to her GP several times as the antibiotics failed to work. Eventually, after around a month of worsening symptoms, she asked whether she could have a blood test.
She had expected the test to confirm glandular fever, but just two hours later her GP called and told her to go straight to A&E.
Recalling the moment, Rowan said: “The GP told me, ‘I’m going to warn you, but I’m pretty sure this is leukemia.
“They’re waiting for you at the hospital. So go now.’”
Rowan was transferred to the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow the following day, where doctors carried out a bone marrow biopsy and subsequently diagnosed her with APL.
Her blood counts were extremely low and she immediately needed blood and platelet transfusions.
Doctors told her she was seriously ill, but that APL was highly treatable once treatment began at Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow.
Rowan spent the next six to seven weeks in the hospital undergoing induction treatment, receiving intravenous arsenic and ATRA tablets every day.
She was unable to leave the ward and suffered a number of complications, including sepsis and blood clots.
Fortunately, a bone marrow biopsy at the end of her initial treatment showed that it had worked and Rowan was in remission.
She then underwent a further six months of chemotherapy as an outpatient, following a complicated cycle of treatment before finishing chemotherapy at the end of November 2025.
A final bone marrow biopsy in January 2026 showed no evidence of the disease.
Today, Rowan continues to have monthly blood tests to monitor her health.
She said: “I would say I’m a completely different person [now].”
Since finishing treatment, she has pushed herself to do things she would previously never have considered, such as taking part in a 5K Race for Life in Glasgow, despite never considering herself sporty.
She has also been traveling and training to run a 10K.
Although she continues to experience some health problems following treatment, including osteonecrosis affecting her bones, Rowan says running has been particularly good for her mental health.
Her advice to other people is not to assume that being young means serious illness is unlikely.
Rowan said: “If you feel like something isn’t right, you need to push harder.
“I would just tell people to really push for things like blood tests.
“If you have a series of symptoms and you think they’re random or unconnected, then you should get them checked out.”
During her treatment, Rowan also received support from Leukaemia Care. A Leukaemia Care worker visited her every Monday throughout her hospital stay and became an important source of support.
Colin Dyer, chief executive for Leukaemia Care, said: “Leukemia can affect people of any age, and its symptoms can be easy to dismiss or attribute to something else.
“If something doesn’t feel right, it is important to seek medical advice and ask whether a blood test is appropriate.
“Rowan was just 27 when she was diagnosed with APL, and her experience shows why we need to challenge the misconception that blood cancer is something that only happens to older people.”
Now in remission, Rowan hopes sharing her experience will encourage other young people to listen to their bodies and seek medical advice when something doesn’t feel right.
She said: “I wouldn’t have been so laissez-faire about getting checked out.
“I went undiagnosed for over a month and that could have ended very badly for me.”
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