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INTERVIEW
End All Wars. That’s What Leevan Would Do.
But wait, Leevan! What about your own medical treatment?
For nearly a year now, Leevan has been sitting on a precipice, on the edge between life and death. My mind hits a wall when I try to imagine what that feels like, just knowing from month to month that you might not make it.
Leevan’s spent nearly six hours at the Haematology Clinic today. I imagine that must be depressing — to share a room with fellow life passengers burdened with cancers and other conditions of the blood and lymphatic systems, sentenced by luck to an uncertain future.
Leevan tells me he finds these clinic visits humbling. For all his difficulties, he observes there are others suffering more than him.
I’m raising funds for Leevan Solomon, so he can have the bone marrow transplant he needs.
On January 8th 2024, I interviewed Leevan, so we — both myself and you — can get to know him better.
From the prime of his life to fighting for life.
Leevan tells me it was a group of friends, including a cousin of mine, who got him into fitness. They started off running, then working out at the gym. Leevan developed his love of fitness and trained as a gym instructor.
As he puts it, “Why not do a job around something you love?”
After six years of working as a gym instructor, he had to give it up. Or rather, with meagre red blood cell counts and top-up transfusions every month just to stay alive, his body gave the gym up.
On good days, Leevan tries to exercise at least a little. But with aplastic anaemia — the medical term for his bone marrow’s failure to produce all the wonderful essential blood cells we take for granted — what used to be easy has become exhausting. A few push-ups can leave him lightheaded.
Leevan used to help hikers navigate challenging nature trails as a team leader with Trail Trekkers TT. Now, getting ready for a clinic appointment, walking over…
