The 49-year-old is one of 15,000 people in the UK living with Polycythaemia vera, a disorder where your body produces too many red blood cells – she was diagnosed after a menopause blood test
A BBC News presenter has announced that she has incurable blood cancer.
Maryam Moshiri, 49, told The Times she is undergoing treatment for Polycythaemia vera, a disorder where bone marrow constantly produces red blood cells. If left untreated, blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks can all be caused by the disease.
Maryam has been undergoing immunotherapy since her diagnosis two years ago following a menopause-related blood test. Doctors say Maryam’s disorder is a chronic condition that can be managed, rather than being a rapidly deteriorating illness.
But treatment still takes a huge toll on Maryam and her family. She told The Times: “During my worst times when I was going through really quite gruelling treatment, I wasn’t there for my kids.
“I’d be lying on the sofa, and my son would say, “mummy, can you come play football with me in the garden?” And you just can’t. You’re too tired.”
Maryam has vowed to keep on working, even covering the death of Pope Francis and the ensuing conclave in April 2025, shortly after her diagnosis.
“I was working 14-hour days, constantly on air, constantly having to think on my feet, and holding it together, despite the fact that I had this chronic tiredness and fatigue,” she said.
Maryam is younger than most people who are diagnosed with Polycythaemia vera. The average age is 60-years-old, and 15,000 Brits have the condition.
Typically, over-60s can survive for another 14 years with the disease, while under-60s can survive another 24 years.
Maryam is now backing a new campaign called Here for This, by Blood Cancer UK, which aims to highlight how the disease impacts everyday life and family moments.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login