Mackenzie Paul bravely shared her experience of being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia to help others spot the warning signs of cancer – and it’s important to remember her story
Mackenzie Paul, who was known for documenting her cancer journey on TikTok, has sadly died at the age of 26. The influencer went viral in 2023 after sharing she’d been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.
Her husband confirmed the news in a tearful Facebook video, saying he was “blessed” to have been married to “the best woman out there,” and “it was a miracle that she made it this far”.
As fans have paid their respects to Mackenzie’s loved ones, many have also been inspired to read up about the warning signs of cancer. One particular video that is important to remember was posted by MacKenzie in 2023.
In the clip posted three years ago, she detailed the first symptoms she noticed and urged others to seek medical attention if they felt the same way.
“Everyone’s diagnosis is different. But one thing remains the same. Listening to your body is key,” the video’s caption reads.
Seven weeks prior to her diagnosis, Mackenzie started the first week of her second year of medical school – a time that’s bound to be full on for any student.
She said: “So in the first week of medical school, I had a clinical rotation where I was following a nurse around, and we ended up in a patient’s room, and nothing was happening, the nurse was just talking to the patient.
“But I was just standing in one spot for a really long period of time, and I ended up getting really dizzy. So I ended up passing out, which was really, really embarrassing, and I thought maybe it was just a fluke; maybe I was nervous, maybe I didn’t eat enough, drink enough, sleep enough. It was weird“.
Mackenzie “brushed that [incident] off.” However, the following week, she was on a clinical rotation again, and was standing in the same spot for a long time, and “felt really dizzy,” but this time, she didn’t pass out.
This time, Mackenzie was alarmed, so she ended up calling her primary care provider, who ordered her “some labs and a Holter monitor”. When she looked at the results of her blood tests, she referred to them as “horrifying”.
She said: “I had low red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, low haemoglobin, low hematocrit, like, it was a mess. I remember thinking at that point, like, god, please don’t let this be cancer.”
While doctors hoped it was a virus, further testing showed that Mackenzie had leukaemia.
She recalled: “Other than the passing out, I didn’t really have any other symptoms, like I didn’t get sick, I didn’t have fevers, I was feeling a little more tired than usual, but, I mean, I was also a med student and everyone in medical school is tired, so, I don’t know, it’s just weird how it all happened.”
After naming tiredness as the key warning sign of the disease, Mackenzie urged others to keep a close eye on their own wellbeing. She urged: “The moral of the story is that if something feels off or weird, or you have a gut feeling about your health, just get it checked out.”
What does the NHS say about acute myeloid leukaemia
The NHS website lists the symptoms of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) – and the tiredness experienced by Mackenzie is included.
Warning signs usually develop over a few weeks, becoming more severe as the number of immature white blood cells increases.
Symptoms of AML can include:
- skin looking pale or “washed out”
- tiredness
- breathlessness
- losing weight without trying
- frequent infections
- having a high temperature, or feeling hot, cold or shivery
- night sweats
- unusual and frequent bleeding, such as bleeding gums or nosebleeds
- easily bruised skin
- flat red or purple spots on the skin
- bone and joint pain
- a feeling of fullness or discomfort in your tummy
- swollen glands in your neck, armpit or groin that may be sore when you touch them
See a GP if you or your child has the symptoms of AML. Although it’s highly unlikely that AML is the cause, these symptoms need to be investigated and treated promptly.
