A high-flying lawyer who thought she had jet lag after relocating to Hong Kong was actually suffering from an aggressive form of leukaemia.

Alexandra Simpson has spoken out about her cancer battle to encourage others to be mindful of their bodies and to ask their doctors for a blood test if they are worried about any persistent symptoms.

The 26-year-old from Llandudno, north Wales, is now in remission but, to lessen the risk of relapsing she is also having a stem cell transplant, having started a week of chemotherapy before having the procedure on February 21.

Alexandra was 25 when she started suffering from fatigue and blamed her tiredness on her massive career move from London to Hong Kong.

It was only when mysterious bruises popped up all over her body that Alexandra saw a doctor, reports WalesOnline.

Still believing she had the world at her feet, Alexandra relived her horror when she received her blood test results the following day, saying: "The doctor told me, Its not great news, today'."

Alexandra had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) cancer of the white blood cells- and her life was under threat so she needed treatment immediately.

The doctor told me hed booked an appointment with a specialist for me at midday, then wished me luck, she said.

I left in floods of tears. It was the middle of the night back home, and I knew I had to tell my mum, but I wanted to give her a few more minutes of not knowing her child had cancer.

I wandered around the city, which was still quite unfamiliar to me, with no idea where to go, she continued.

Eventually, I called home and Mum just kept saying, No.

She saw me as this strong, healthy girl it was shocking that cancer could suddenly hit me so aggressively.

You sometimes imagine how it may feel to be told you have cancer.

"On TV, people always seem to go numb their hearing fades and the room around them swirls. I actually became hyper-aware. I still remember every word the doctor said to me, even now.

And while its been incredibly difficult both for me and the people that have walked alongside me, seeing the horror of it all I wouldnt undo any of what Ive been through.

She added: Before, I think I was a little lost, almost sleepwalking through my twenties.

"But now, Ive learnt to appreciate the little things all those beautiful moments youd otherwise take for granted and have a purpose and a passion in raising awareness of leukaemia.

Doctors now believe that cancerous cells first started to invade Alexandra around January 2019, when she had seen a GP in London because she was feeling rundown and had concernes she was anaemic.

Working in a busy law firm, when she had noticed dark circles around her eyes, she assumed it was her fast-paced lifestyle taking its toll rather than anything more sinister.

She said: I almost got used to having very little energy. I was working long hours and still managing to get myself to the gym three times a week, so I didnt think it was anything overly worrying.

I blamed city life. I kept telling myself Id be moving to Hong Kong soon and would feel better in a new place, with a bit of sunshine.

Alexandras doctor agreed she could be anaemic so suggested she eat more red meat, or try an iron supplement to get her levels up.

Assuming that would be the end of it, Alexandra turned her thoughts to her big move in early March 2019.

When her fatigue did not lift, she said: I kept telling myself Id just moved around the world and that feeling tired was natural but I just wasnt bouncing back from the jetlag.

As I became more comfortable with the new friends I was making out there, they remarked that I still looked pale, despite being in the sweltering heat every day.

Agreeing she could be anaemic, Alexandras doctor suggested she eat more red meat, or try an iron supplement to get her levels up.

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So, assuming that would be the end of it, she turned her thoughts to her big move in early March 2019.

When her fatigue did not lift, she said: I kept telling myself Id just moved around the world and that feeling tired was natural but I just wasnt bouncing back from the jetlag.

As I became more comfortable with the new friends I was making out there, they remarked that I still looked pale, despite being in the sweltering heat every day.

It was at the end of March when Alexandra banged her leg getting out of the bath one day and noticed a dramatic bruise forming within minutes that she thought something sinister was happening.

She continued: It kept developing, getting larger and larger, to the point where I was embarrassed to show it, as I could feel people staring, wondering what Id done.

That seemed to almost trigger something in my body and, before long, clusters of bruises sprang up all over, with no explanation as to where theyd come from.

Alexandra looked up her symptoms online and was shocked when almost all of them pointed towards leukaemia.

So, using healthcare benefits she had through work, in April she booked a private appointment to see a doctor, who gave her a blood test with the results back the next morning.

Id just sat down at my desk when my phone started to ring, recalled Alexandra.

I dont think the receptionist even said hello. She just asked, Where are you? and told me to come in right away.

The urgency in her voice was really worrying. When I got there, I was trying to analyse the doctors face. I knew that something serious was going on, as he couldnt quite look at me. Then he told me I had leukaemia.

After wandering around the city and phoning her mum, feeling shaken and disorientated, Alexandra returned to her office and broke the news to her colleagues.

A colleague came over to ask if I was okay, as I was visibly upset. I think she assumed itd be a break-up, or homesickness a more normal problem for a 20-something who had moved across the world to be facing, she said.

When I told her, I watched the colour drain from her face. She sat with me and we talked it all over then, bizarrely, I actually wanted to do a bit of work while I waited for my midday appointment. My colleagues thought I was bonkers, but I needed a distraction.

When Alexandra she saw the specialist later that day she realised how gravely ill she was.

She recalled: He told me I wasnt well enough to fly back to the UK, and I needed to go straight to hospital.

I said, 'Okay, Ill just go home to get some things'. But he told me no, that if I somehow fell or knocked myself on the way, that my blood didnt have enough platelets to form clots, so I could bleed to death.

She continued: "He said, 'You need to go to hospital right now, and just to warn you, youll be there for at least a month'. He was good at keeping me calm, but also making me realise how much danger I was in.

Admitted to hospital, Alexandra was given a bone marrow biopsy, which confirmed her official diagnosis.

According to the charity Leukaemia Care, ALL is a rapidly progressing form of the disease, with almost 350 cases a year diagnosed in UK adults.

Symptoms can include fatigue, fever, frequent infections, unusual bleeding, unexplained weight loss and small purple spots on the skin known as purpura.

Three days after her diagnosis, Alexandra began the first of four gruelling cycles of chemotherapy.

It all happened so quickly, I didnt really have time to consider what I was about to put my body through. I was just focused on getting the cancerous cells eliminated, she said.

"When I look back at that part of everything, it doesnt feel like my life. Its like Im looking at another girl thinking, 'Poor her, shes been through so much'.

As well as the obvious side-effects, like losing my hair and having to deal with everybody staring at me, knowing I was sick, there were all these other little ways it impacted me.

For example, my fitness level plummeted to the point where Id have to take a rest when walking upstairs.

It was like being locked out of my own life. The chemo made me sicker than the cancer, in a way but I knew it was the cure, and I had to keep going.

By May, Alexandra had stabilised enough to fly home, where she continued the rest of her chemotherapy at Manchesters Christie Hospital, finishing in September 2019.

Later that month, she began immunotherapy, where the bodys own immune system is used to fight off cancerous cells.

She said: The form I had targets a specific antigen in the leukemic cells, and uses my own immune system to kill the cancer. The drug I take is slowly infused over a 28-day period, so I carry around a pump that delivers a very small dose every minute.

Now in remission, Alexandra described how her journey has made her re-evaluate life, and find value in small things she may have once taken for granted.

She said: I know now I wasnt prioritising the right things, like chasing that deal at work, or buying the latest designer handbag. Those things do have a place in life, and they are important, but they arent the be all and end all.

Now, things like sitting around the table with my family laughing, or feeling the sun on my neck in the garden those are the moments that mean the most.

For a long time, I put what happened in a box, only to be opened at certain times.

Now Ive gone from being obsessed that nobody would know to look at me what Ive been through, to being proud of my scars.

Ive worked through that denial to find a place of peace. Ive found my cause in life and am so proud to be a part of the cancer community.

Urging people to be mindful of the bodies, she said: You know your body better than anybody, so if you feel something has changed however minor then ask your doctor for a blood test, she said.

The likelihood is it will be something much more minor than leukaemia, but if it is serious, its important to catch it early. Going through this has completely changed my mindset, and Im so glad to still be here to appreciate the little things that make life so beautiful.

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Lawyer thought her tiredness was down to jet lag until she visited doctor - Mirror Online