Embarrassed' army sergeant, 27, failed routine fitness test - then his word changed forever

Embarrassed' army sergeant, 27, failed routine fitness test - then his word changed forever Chris Dawson thought his tiredness was down to being a new dad but there was another devastating reason Chris Dawson was a young, fit 27-year-old sergeant in the British Army with the world ahead of him. Happily married to wife Laurie, with a new baby all was looking good. But he was also living with a potentially deadly disease - he just didn’t know it yet. Chris had been experiencing unusual fatigue, but he had recently become a dad so put his tiredness down to having a newborn. However, he was then put forward for a promotional course in the army and unexpectedly failed the required fitness test. “I couldn’t understand how it had happened,” said Chris, now 38 and living in Chelmsford. "I was exhausted and dizzy. But instead of thinking something was wrong, I was embarrassed and assumed it was my fault. I just thought ‘I need to train harder’.” Then, in a training session, Chris was asked to perform a fireman’s carry and prolapsed a spinal disk. He was sent to the army doctor where a blood test was done after an unusual lump was spotted in Chris’s abdomen. That night, Chris was woken by a call telling him to go immediately to hospital. He was admitted to Colchester Hospital where he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). CML is a rare, slow-growing blood cancer that produces a type of abnormal white blood cells. It is more common in older adults, with a typical age at diagnosis of around 60–65. “I was in complete shock,” said Chris. “The doctor told me he didn’t know how I was still standing because I was that unwell. I remember calling my brother and crying, and he told me to keep my chin up and that we’d sort it out.” Treatment for Chris began immediately, he was given chemotherapy followed by targeted drugs known as TKIs (tyrosine kinase inhibitors), which stop the production of abnormal white blood cells. However, as it wasn’t clear what Chris’s long-term prognosis would be, he became classed as non-deployable by the army. “It broke me,” said Chris. “The army defined me, I’d joined at 16 and it was all I knew. But the whole point is to be deployable, and as I had a mortgage to pay and a one-month-old baby I decided to leave. “In retrospect, I wasn’t thinking straight. I ended up taking on hard physical jobs like scaffolding at the same time as I was adjusting to treatment. While I should have been resting, I was pushing myself harder than ever.” Within six months Chris had become a dad, been diagnosed with cancer and abruptly exited the army. Unsurprisingly, his mental health started to rapidly deteriorate. “I’m sad to say that I didn’t really believe in mental health issues before,” said Chris. “I had this mentality that it was weakness, but it absolutely isn’t. The army had my life mapped out in front of me and suddenly that structure and my whole sense of identity was gone. Even now, I still mourn the loss of it. “But my family were so understanding and patient with me, and eventually I found a stable position at an automotive engineering company. I’m still there now and I’ve been promoted a number of times, they really helped me find myself again.” As well as the mental health challenges, Chris’s physical recovery was extremely hard. Over a number of years, he was slowly able to regain his strength. “I’ve been on the treatment for many years now and can’t pinpoint any side effects apart from normal tiredness from having three kids, a busy job and going to the gym or running as much as I can!" said Chris. “At an appointment in 2022 I was told there was no reason I shouldn’t expect a full life expectancy. I couldn’t believe it, I could see a future again.” Recently, Chris was also offered the possibility of treatment-free remission, meaning that if his blood markers remain stable, he may be able to stop taking daily medication. “In a strange way, this news was quite unsettling to me,” said Chris. "I’d been on the treatment for so long and in some ways, I felt like the CML now defined me. I’ve decided to stay on the treatment for at least a few more years, which will also help to collect more data on CML treatment as not many people my age have been on TKIs this long." In 2026, Chris’s wife Laurie arranged a 66km canoe paddle along the Thames with her employer, tech HR company Zinc, to raise money for Leukaemia UK. She said: "Everyone thinks their partner is incredible, but Chris is truly remarkable. The bravery he has shown through more than a decade of uncertainty, is beyond anything I think I’d personally be able to match.” September is Blood Cancer Awareness month, and Chris is sharing his story in support of Leukaemia UK, to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of leukaemia. Every day, 28 people in the UK are diagnosed with leukaemia. However, the symptoms are varied and not specific, meaning it can often get overlooked or misdiagnosed. The most common symptoms of leukaemia are: - Extreme tiredness (fatigue) - Bruising - Unusual bleeding - Repeated infections Leukaemia UK is urging the public to familiarise themselves with the signs and symptoms of leukaemia and and to contact their GP and ask for a full blood count test if something doesn’t feel right. To find out more about the signs and symptoms of leukaemia visit Leukaemia UK Fiona Hazell, Chief Executive of Leukaemia UK, said: "We’re so grateful to Chris for sharing his story to help raise awareness of leukaemia. Most of the signs and symptoms are not specific, so can often get mistaken for other illnesses or be explained away. "Early diagnosis saves lives. That is why we encourage anyone with symptoms to make sure it’s nothing serious by speaking to their GP and asking for a full blood count test."