I'm determined to do this for the guys that didn't make it

IT has been the fight of his life and now as Scott Donaldson waits for confirmation that he has finally beaten leukaemia, he cannot forget the friends he made and lost along the way.

During his treatment he spent hours in the company of four other leukaemia victims, forging friendships through a common bond none of them would have ever chosen.

As each of them lost their fight for life, Scott grieved and counted his blessings that he was still alive.

Now, as he waits for his five-year all-clear from the condition, the offshore worker from Clermiston is preparing to honour the lives of his fellow patients by taking part in a marathon bike race to help research into the condition.

The 44-year-old said: "It just hits home knowing that out of the five of us who were in hospital, I'm the only one who made it. It does make you think what if . . ."

Mr Donaldson will join thousands of cyclists taking part in this year's Pedal For Scotland charity race next Sunday, a 50-mile run from Glasgow to Edinburgh. The event, the biggest cycle race in the country, will raise thousands of pounds for Leukaemia Research.

For Mr Donaldson, taking part in the charity bike run will be a remarkable high point in his fight against acute myeloid leukaemia.

He was diagnosed with the condition almost exactly five years ago, after first thinking he had simply torn a muscle at the gym.

His GP sent him to hospital, where he was given the devastating news which would lead to six months of intensive treatment at the Western General Hospital. There he met four other sufferers – each at different stages of their leukaemia treatment.

"The five of us were in the day centre at Ward One at the same time so we got to know each other," said Scott. "It turned out I had a mutual friend with one of them and we had both played ice hockey at the same time."

He was Mark McKendrick, a former goalkeeper with ice hockey squad Murrayfield Racers. The others included leading light in Scottish croquet, Stuart McKendrick, and fellow patients Kelvin Farquhar and Gavin Henderson.

Mr Donaldson was devastated to learn that while he appeared to be recovering, his fellow patients were losing their individual battles. "It was shattering when Mark died. We'd become pretty friendly, so going to his funeral was hard."

Amid his grief for Mark, however, there was one positive. "I met my wife Pamela at his funeral," said Scott. "I probably wouldn't have met her otherwise, so it's strange how things work out."

There was bad news ahead, however. "I found out about Gavin and Kelvin by chance around a year after I finished my treatment. I happened to ask a nurse how they were and when she said they were away, it floored me."

When he realised Stuart had died too, he made a promise to do something in their memory – even though he admits he has hardly managed to squeeze in any training for his epic bike ride.

"I thought it would be good to do this for the guys – and I'm going to do it even if it takes me eight days to finish it!"

Scott will find out in February if he has got the all-clear. "It's going to be a nail-biting few months ahead," he admitted. "But I've always tried to be optimistic and positive that I'll get through this because the alternative is to give in to it."

To register for Pedal for Scotland, go to www.pedalfor scotland.org or call 0141 229 5359.

DISEASE SYMPTOMS HARD TO SPOT
ACUTE Myeloid Leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells and is the most common leukaemia affecting adults.

It occurs when healthy bone marrow is attacked by the cancer, causing healthy blood-forming cells to be overrun and leaving patients vulnerable to potentially fatal infections.

Symptoms can be hard to spot: typically they involve patients feeling tired, breathless or prone to bruising.