‘I spent my honeymoon covered in bruises, too exhausted to leave the hotel – I didn’t know I had incurable blood cancer’

A Leicestershire woman who was diagnosed with blood cancer after noticing unusual bruising while on her honeymoon said that she “really thought I was going to be dead by the time I was 50” so now she “takes every day as a bit more of a blessing”.

Rosie Meiklejohn-Cribdon, 29, was on a flight to her honeymoon in Italy in May 2025 when she noticed her legs feeling “a bit weird, tingly” before she came out in huge bruises across her legs. Over the course of her three-week honeymoon with her husband Nathan, she noticed more bruises appearing on her body with no discernible cause – she hadn’t bumped into anything or otherwise injured herself, which she thought was strange.

While her honeymoon photos seem to show that she and Nathan were having the time of their lives, exploring fancy shops in Milan, wandering the canals of Venice and relaxing on the beaches of Sicily, the truth was that Rosie felt like she had been “hit by a steamroller”, and spent many hours just resting in her hotel room.

By August 2025, Rosie was diagnosed with essential thrombocythaemia, a type of blood cancer, and told that she would never be able to have children, and advised that her life expectancy was only around 20 years. However, after seeking a second opinion, Rosie learned that while her cancer is incurable, there was every chance she could live a long and happy life, which felt like “the weight had been lifted” from her and Nathan’s shoulders.

“I think it makes you realise that the little things are not very important,” Rosie told PA Real Life.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff – I know that sounds really corny!

“I really thought I was going to be dead by the time I was 50, having not really experienced much, so I now take every day as a bit more of a blessing.”

Rosie, who is sharing her story to support Blood Cancer UK’s Here for This Campaign for Blood Cancer Awareness Month, urging people to fund blood cancer research so people don’t miss out on important milestones because of their cancer, got married to husband Nathan in June 2024, having been together for six years.

They planned their honeymoon to Italy for May 2025, but shortly before their trip Rosie noticed some strange, unexplained bruising all over her body.

She visited urgent care, and after some blood tests she was told it was likely caused by a virus, so she said she “didn’t really think much of it – I didn’t ever see the blood tests or anything, so I assumed all was fine”.

On the flight to Italy on May 5, however, Rosie began experiencing a strange tingling sensation in her legs, and the following day noticed heavy bruising on her legs. Over the course of her honeymoon, the bruises kept appearing and she said she felt “exhausted” and “incredibly ill”, prompting her to push for more answers when she got home.

In July 2025, Rosie finally secured an appointment with a specialist at a hospital, where blood tests were conducted to try to get to the root of the problem.

On August 14, Rosie was called into the hospital to discuss her results, and over the course of a short meeting with a consultant, Rosie was told she had essential thrombocythaemia – her blood tests revealed a mutation of the JAK2 gene, which causes blood cells to multiply out of control.

Rosie said she was informed that her life expectancy was around 20 years, and that she couldn’t have children, and sent on her way with a leaflet about cancer.

“I came home and told my husband everything, and obviously it was incredibly shocking,” Rosie continued.

“Then after we discussed it, he said: ‘I think we should get another opinion, just in case. Let’s just get a second opinion and just check that this is right’.”

Rosie decided to get an appointment with a private doctor at Spire Leicester Hospital, which was arranged for two weeks’ time. In the meantime, Rosie began to spiral, unable to go back to work because she “just couldn’t concentrate”.

“I just wanted to sit on my sofa and cry, and just work out how I wasn’t going to die in 15 years,” she said.

“It was horrific. I thought I’m not even going to make it to 50.”

On 30 August [2025], Rosie was able to see the second doctor, and said that the appointment “completely changed our trajectory and the way we think about it”.

“She answered all the questions that we had, and said: ‘You don’t need to worry more than somebody with diabetes’. I’m on that level.

“She said: ‘You’re not going to die tomorrow. It isn’t going to kill you. Yes, you’re going to die with it, but that could be in 80 years’…

“Nathan and I both walked out of there like the weight had just been lifted.”

Blood Cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the UK’s third biggest cancer killer and yet it is still widely misunderstood. Blood Cancer UK, a charity which offers support and funds research into the condition, says it can affect everyone differently – some will need treatment such as chemotherapy while others, like Rosie, can live a normal life but will need regular monitoring.

While Rosie has been told her condition is relatively stable, as she is young and otherwise healthy, she said she has had to come to terms with the fact that her circumstances could change in a heartbeat.

“The weird thing is that it could stay the same as it is now, relatively stable, for 40 years, or it could change tomorrow. We just don’t know,” she said.

Thankfully, she said her symptoms have remained relatively mild.

“I’d probably say I get more tired than your average 29-year-old – I do have a tremendous capacity for sleep these days, and I think that’s the only thing I’ve noticed that’s slightly different,” she said.

“So I feel quite lucky.”

Rosie takes low-dose blood thinners, which help reduce bruising, and she has been advised that having chemotherapy may exacerbate her condition. She has given up alcohol, started paying more attention to her diet and exercise, and lives a healthier life with lots of time outdoors with Nathan and their dogs – a husky cross named Lola, and Belle, a springer spaniel.

She said she has also found community in online forums for others with blood cancer, and has met “amazing” people through Blood Cancer UK who understand what she is going through and have become a source of support.

Now, a year on from her diagnosis, Rosie said “it feels like it has been the longest, but also the shortest year ever”.

“It has made me see life differently – grab every moment, don’t sweat the small stuff and make an impact in the world,” she said.

“That means raising awareness of the symptoms of blood cancer and travelling the world. My cancer was lurking through my honeymoon, but it won’t stop me living my life.”

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month, and Blood Cancer UK has launched its Here for This campaign, encouraging people to help fund blood cancer research so more people can enjoy life’s special moments and milestones. To find out more, visit bloodcancer.org.uk or call the helpline on 0808 304 7644.