WOMAN SPENT DAYS IN COMA BEFORE CANCER DIAGNOSIS. NOW, SHE’S CYCLING TO MAKE SURE THE SAME DOESN’T HAPPEN TO OTHER PEOPLE

“The word ‘incurable’ was hard to hear,” Yasmin Ashburnham recalled about her blood cancer diagnosis

NEED TO KNOW

• Yasmin Ashburnham was diagnosed with myeloma, a type of blood cancer, after septic shock led to an induced coma
• After undergoing chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant during a challenging recovery, she is in remission
• Now, Ashburnham is cycling from London to Paris to raise funds for Myeloma UK and raise awareness about early diagnosis

A woman who was put into an induced coma before her blood cancer diagnosis is now raising money and raising awareness to help others.

Yasmin Ashburnham, a mother of two from Rye, England, began experiencing chest infections, anaemia and fatigue, so she was rushed to the hospital in October 2022, according to the BBC.

Ashburnham, who was 42 at the time, then went into septic shock as her organs began shutting down. She was placed in an induced coma before doctors diagnosed her with myeloma, which left her in “complete shock.”

Myeloma is a type of cancer that forms in white blood cells and can cause bone pain and fatigue, per Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

"My persistent symptoms were very much like many other conditions, so the cancer was not picked up on until after I went into septic shock," she said, according to Rye News. At the time, her two kids were 6 and 9.

"The word 'incurable' was hard to hear, but I was also told it is treatable and that gave me hope," she said about the diagnosis.

Since then, Ashburnham has undergone chemotherapy and had a stem-cell transplant in June 2023. Her cancer is now in remission. However, her treatment and the recovery from it were "long and challenging."

As Ashburnham has worked to regain her strength, she is raising money for the blood cancer charity Myeloma UK by participating in the 450 km (or 279-mile) Myeloma UK London to Paris Ride cycling challenge, which started on May 14 and ends on May 18.

"Being able to take on this ride now means more to me than I can ever put into words," Ashburnham said.

"I want to raise awareness so people aren't diagnosed at such a late stage," she added. "Being able to give something back feels incredibly important."

She also said that she wants to use the bike ride to "set a good example" for her children and to show that "something positive can come out of the toughest chapters in life."

The ride includes about 120 people who are divided into different groups by fitness levels. They will then cycle from five to seven hours each day.

Ashburnham has been documenting her journey along the way through her Instagram. "My story is only one among so many cancer stories. In just a few hours I'll meet and cycle many more people carrying their own battles, humor, scars and strength with them," she captioned one post.

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Matt Wynes, director of fundraising at Myeloma UK, said, "No one should have to go through what Yasmin and her family experienced."

He added that he was "grateful" for her fundraising and that there should be "much greater awareness around myeloma," as many people "still faced delays in diagnosis and challenges in accessing treatment."

Read the original article on People

2026-05-16T22:31:20Z