[Music]

My name is Alan Quarterman and I suffer from CML.

That’s a bone marrow cancer.

And I was first diagnosed in January 2007.

When they tell you you have cancer your mind goes off

because you’re trying to put all your affairs in order in your brain.

I thought ‘Wow, this mean I’ve got to bring forward my holidays,

and I’ve got to get out there and do things’.

I want to go out and see places I haven’t been to, I haven’t done.

I want to travel.

The reason I like travelling is it’s exciting

and I get out there and I’m actually doing something.

I see all the World Heritage sites:

From Sydney Harbour Bridge, to

Peru - The Inca Trail,

The Great Wall of China – hiking along it on my own

because the youngsters were going too fast for me to keep up with them.

I just get on with what I’m doing and I forget

my greatest attribute is I’ve got a bad memory.

I can’t hold a grudge against anybody and I just get on with what I’m doing

and I’m really happy doing it.

Because I carry drugs, and I worry that someone might seize them,

I tend to take a batch in my suitcase or in my rucksack,

and some in my hand luggage, because I’m frightened I’m going to lose my luggage

and that’s going to mess my holiday up and I’m going to have to come back.

Because these drugs are very expensive – over £31,000 a year, just for me.

So that’s how much I’m worth.

I travelled to Australia within six weeks of being diagnosed.

And it was great.

There were no hiccups at all. In fact I didn’t even have to go to Melbourne hospital.

A local clinic took my blood, and they sent blood to the Melbourne hospital,

and it cost 30 Australian dollars, which was then three to the pound

so they said ‘You can claim this back from your National Health’ but I thought

‘I’m just happy to be alive, you know. And the National Health, I’m not going to give them more paperwork.’

I pretty much forget I’ve got cancer because I’m concentrating on other things.

I didn’t want to be an invalid. I wanted to be fit and healthy, so

one of the things I did when I was diagnosed was do more exercise.

I didn’t look after myself by taking it easy, because I wanted my body to be fit

so that I could fight the cancer.

There are some very positive things that have come out of being diagnosed with cancer.

One of them is that it puts everything into perspective.

My next trip’s going to be to the USA, with my buddy, Ben, who’s retiring.

It’s his dream, and I’m going along to help him out.

We’re going to buy a motorcycle each, a Harley-Davidson and we’re going to do the Route 66.

And we’re going to go from Chicago to LA.

For information, help, or if you just want to chat,

call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan.org.uk