A brave Donegal teenager who was diagnosed with a rare cancer has this week spoken of his journey and gave some advice to others who might find themselves in a similar position.
Last winter, Joel Messenger (19), from Greencastle, thought he had a stubborn flu.
“I wasn’t sick, but I had a severe lack of energy. Being 19 and having no energy sent alarm bells off in my head, so I went to my GP who put it down to flu,” he recalls.
Over the next two weeks, he returned for repeat sick notes while something else began to worry him.
A visit to the dentist ruled out gum disease, despite his gums being bleeding.
“I found it strange when I discovered I didn’t have gum disease and my gums were bleeding a lot for no apparent reason,” he added.
After his third GP visit, Joel was sent for a blood test, which revealed he had a rare blood cancer called Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML).
Hearing the word ‘cancer’ at the age of 19 was surreal for Joel.
“The only way you can describe it is like the stuff you see in movies, you know, when they receive bad news and they get tunnel vision and go deaf,” he continued.
“I remember the specialist telling me and initially I thought it was some kind of bad joke, because in my head I was only 19; I’m still ‘invincible’ and nothing can hurt me,” he recalls.
“I couldn’t hear a word that was coming out of the consultant’s mouth. Once the shock wore off, which took about 24 hours, a lot of emotion came with it, and I think I went through every stage of grief within five minutes.”
Joel is living life in the fast lane again!
As his cancer is chronic, he says his treatment will last his lifetime. However, he is fighting fit, ‘cancer free’ and is feeling positive.
“As clichéd as it sounds, just keep your head up. I’m a firm believer that your mental state reflects your health.”
Joel is sharing his story ahead of World CML Day on the 22nd of September.
Read his full story here: https://brnw.ch/21wVXtt
You can also follow Joel on Instagram
‘Keep your head up’ says brave Donegal teenager fighting rare cancer was last modified: September 21st, 2025 by Staff Writer
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