BBC News anchor Maryam Moshiri has revealed she has been diagnosed with incurable blood cancer.
The anchor, who joined the BBC in 2003, has covered events ranging from the Pope’s funeral to the Iran war since being diagnosed with Polycythaemia vera (PV) two years ago. Moshiri went public with her diagnosis Monday in an interview with The Times of London.
“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 told the newspaper. “When you’re doing live news, you have this rush of adrenaline, and you just have to get on with it.”
Although the cancer itself is not deadly, PV results in the overproduction of red blood cells, causing the blood to thicken and potentially leading to blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. It requires lifelong treatment, much of which is physically gruelling.
“It is going to be there till the day I die,” Moshiri said of her diagnosis. “A big part of this disease is having to get on with life.”
Among the treatments Moshiri has endured are twice-monthly venesections, where doctors remove blood through a vein, which she said was exhausting and left her feeling “extremely unwell.” Despite that, she travelled to Rome for two weeks last year to cover the death of Pope Francis.
On her return she underwent an immunotherapy treatment which resulted in “horrendous” side effects. She eventually switched to a different drug.
Moshri, who also has three children, decided to go public with her diagnosis in order to back a campaign by charity Blood Cancer U.K. called “Here for This,” which highlights the time sufferers miss with loved ones due to their treatment. She is also determined to continue working.
“I love what I do. I love being where the story is,” she told The Times. “I don’t want to allow blood cancer to stop me from doing my work.”