Words by Cheyanne Bryan
“Bloodsick is entirely about a shift in who you are and your perspective of the world and a detachment of your identity pre a big event, such as cancer, to an event after.”
“And it’s just about shedding your skin [...] and letting go of what was, which is really hard to do, and something I struggled with.”
At 24 years old, lead singer of VENUS GRRRLS, GK was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. She went from the band picking up steam and gaining traction in the scene, to receiving chemotherapy within hours of her diagnosis.
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a fast-developing cancer of the blood and bone marrow, marked by the rapid growth of abnormal myeloid cells that disrupt normal blood cell production. With symptoms that started off as a “bad sore throat and tonsillitis”, GK spent 9 months receiving treatment and took time away from the band.
“It was having a huge impact on the band because when you’re an up and coming band, you’re trying to get your feet on the ground and your name out there, so when you can’t gig, you can’t do the thing that you’re born to do.” She tells Smiley News.
“But then as things started to get a little more serious and a little more scary, my worries went from ‘oh, we’re gonna miss a few gigs to ‘oh, am I going to be able to do this at all? Are we going to be able to do this?'”
Despite having these feelings, GK still had some struggles when it came to getting back into the routine of the band, “it was hard to find my feet again coming back into that, with a whole new worldview, a whole new perspective, this whole new lease of life. And to try and shift my songwriting through the new lens that has been forced over my eyes.”
Since time was taken away from the band, GK thanks her bandmates (Eliza Lee, Hannah Barraclough, Grace Stubbings, and Gabby Cooke), for “making sure there was a band for me to come back to”.
“My faith in what I wanted to do never wavered when I was ill, if anything it reaffirmed what I wanted to do".
Using her social platform to share her story, GK has been vocal about her experience and encourages her audience to sign up to the stem cell register, which can help others with blood cancers and disorders. And the perception from fans of the band was “really lovely and [they] were so supportive”.
Along for the ride of their first-ever headline tour, the band has teamed up with the stem cell transplant charity Anthony Nolan. With a register of 900,000 individuals, Anthony Nolan matches potential stem cell donors with patients suffering from blood cancer and blood disorders who require transplants. At each of the eight shows a representative from Anthony Nolan will be available to share information about stem cells, their significance in treating acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) through transplants, and the crucial need for individuals aged 16-30 to register as stem cell donors.
“I witnessed, just being on a cancer ward and being in the cancer world, how much they do to save so many lives every single day and how many people can get involved and be on the stem cell register.”
“It’s really great that now I feel a real sense of purpose and real mission to make people aware of Anthony Nolan because I wasn’t.”
Catch the band (and an Anthony Nolan rep) tonight in Bristol (13/09) or in Manchester on Saturday! (14/09).
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Anthony Nolan. This charity runs the UK’s largest stem cell register, helping across the globe with scientific advancements to discover cures and treatments for blood cancer and blood disorders. Their register connects donors of bone marrow or blood stem cells with patients in urgent need of lifesaving transplants. Find out more.
Leukaemia Care . This charity is the UK’s leading leukaemia charity. Working over the last 50 years to ensure the best possible diagnosis, information, advice, treatment and support is available. Learn more here.
Blood Cancer UK. This charity has the goal to accelerate transformative climate solutions and build a more just world, specifically working in the UK and Global South. Support them here.
Photo by Misha Warren
