In this episode, we hear from Joanne Claxton, wife and caregiver to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) survivor Adam Claxton. Adam was a guest in Season 20 and you can listen to his episode here.
Joanne takes us back to Adam’s diagnosis in 2024. He had a persistent cough and had visited his general practitioner several times. After being sent home with antibiotics, he went to the hospital’s accident and emergency department. He was initially discharged but was soon called back and told to pack a bag. After an anxious wait, two hematology consultants told Joanne and Adam that he had AML. The news shocked their entire family.
While Adam underwent chemotherapy, Joanne had to protect a sense of normality for their three children. She stopped working and took on the responsibilities of solo parenting while Adam remained in the hospital.
When Adam relapsed in 2025, Joanne found the experience even more difficult than the original diagnosis. He had completed chemotherapy and a transplant and appeared to be recovering well. He had even been exercising the day before the relapse was discovered. Because he was home rather than hospitalized, the family lived with greater uncertainty. Joanne says this was the point when she hit rock bottom.
After transplant, Adam developed chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease, or GVHD, affecting his skin. But Joanne and Adam view it as the price of continued protection against leukemia. This perspective does not remove the difficulty, but it helps them face the condition with hope. Their cancer experience also brought them closer. They had not planned to marry before Adam became ill, but his diagnosis changed their priorities. They married during the journey and developed a deeper understanding of one another.
Joanne is honest about the delayed effects of caregiving. She experienced anxiety, vertigo, headaches, neck pain, and other physical signs of stress. She eventually reached out for help and learned that caring for herself was necessary. She no longer allows guilt to prevent her from taking time for herself. Peg asks Joanne what the hardest moment was - and her answer is striking.
Joanne's main advice to caregivers is to surround themselves with supportive people, talk openly, accept help, and use available charities and caregiver networks. No matter how strong someone may be, caregiving should not be carried alone. Joanne also reminds friends and family to ask how the caregiver is doing. Ordinary conversations can provide relief when illness has consumed every part of life.
Above all, Joanne and Adam live one day at a time and choose faith over fear.
Thank you to our Season 21 Sponsors:
Incyte: https://incyte.com/
Sanofi: https://www.sanofi.com/
(00:00) Intro
(01:14) Adam’s acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis
(03:24) Watching a partner go through treatment
(05:18) Why the relapse felt even harder
(08:13) Understanding graft versus host disease
(09:50) How cancer changed their relationship
(12:56) Advice for partners and caregivers
(15:39) The helplessness caregivers experience
(17:34) Releasing caregiver guilt
(18:00) Difficult conversations about wills and funerals
(20:08) Faith over fear after a GVHD diagnosis
(23:09) The importance of ordinary conversations
National Bone Marrow Transplant Link - (800) LINK-BMT, or (800) 546-5268.
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