BBC Presenter Shares Blood Cancer Diagnosis

Maryam Moshiri is a famous BBC News presenter. She joined the BBC in 2003 and is a well-known anchor. She is forty-nine years old and has three children. In November 2024, a doctor diagnosed her with blood cancer. The name of this rare disease is polycythaemia vera.

This blood cancer is incurable, but doctors can manage it well. In this disease, the body makes too many red blood cells. Because of this, the blood becomes very thick. Thick blood can cause dangerous blood clots, strokes, or heart attacks.

At first, Maryam did not have any symptoms. Her doctor discovered the cancer during a routine blood test. After that, Maryam had a very difficult treatment. Doctors put a needle in her arm to draw her blood. She had this treatment seven or eight times in five months.

This treatment made her feel extremely tired and unwell. She lost some of her hair and felt very itchy. Later, she started a new immunotherapy treatment on the NHS. Now, she feels much better because she needs fewer blood treatments. She will need treatment for the rest of her life.

Maryam still works and travels to many countries for her job. She went to Qatar, the Vatican, and Greenland for big news stories. However, she sometimes suffers from very extreme fatigue. She feels like someone removed her battery completely.

Her husband Jonathan and her children are very supportive. Her children Iris, Vivienne, and Caspian are thirteen, eleven, and nine. They understand when she is too tired to play. Maryam shared her story because she wants to raise awareness.