Middlesbrough Soldier Faces New Battle Against Leukaemia

26 November 2013, 07:08 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

A Middlesbrough soldier who's been diagnosed with leukaemia is calling on people to join the bone marrow register.

23 year old Lance Corporal Ian Young was back at home after a 6 month tour of Afghanistan when he was diagnosed.

He cheated death after seeing two colleagues shot dead by an Afghan policeman in Helmand Province, when he was serving with the 1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment.

Within weeks of coming back to his home in Teesville he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukaemia.

After getting the all-clear once, he was then diagnosed with the disease again.

Doctors have told him his only chance of beating the disease is a bone marrow transplant.

Ian, who's dad to four month old abby Tommy, is now calling on more people to join the bone marrow register to improve his, and other people's chances of finding a match.

Ian told Capital:
"I thought I was just tired from being on tour and then coming back, I noticed my fitness levels were dropping.

I thought it was just a natural thing really and didn't believe it for a while.

It's an absolutely horrible disease - you're always in and out of hospital.

It has such a big impact on your life.

Your immunity's always low so you're constantly getting infections and a simple cold can be life-threatening." 

More than 2,000 people have joined a Facebook page supporting Ian.

To find out more about going the bone marrow register you can visit the Anthony Nolan Trust's website HERE