{"id":12772,"date":"2026-04-11T14:07:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T14:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kkltrust.org\/?p=12772"},"modified":"2026-04-12T14:31:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T14:31:21","slug":"leukaemia-survivor-fulfils-childhood-dream-of-becoming-a-nurse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kkltrust.org\/?p=12772","title":{"rendered":"Leukaemia survivor fulfils childhood dream of becoming a nurse"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Childhood cancer survivor Dan Laird has fulfilled his lifelong ambition of becoming a children\u2019s nurse, inspired by the care he received at Birmingham Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>

Dan was diagnosed with leukaemia, which affects the blood and bone marrow, at just six years old and spent three years undergoing intensive treatment.<\/p>

Inspired by his childhood care, Dan wants to give back to the NHS and help others facing similar journeys.<\/p>

He said: \u201cI don\u2019t remember much because of the chemotherapy, but my mum has told me how difficult it was. At first they thought it was a virus but when my symptoms worsened my parents took me to A&E where they quickly identified what was wrong and sent me to Birmingham Children\u2019s Hospital. The care I received there is a big part of why I wanted to become a children\u2019s nurse.\u201d<\/p>

Dan\u2019s treatment included a clinical trial and he still attends Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham due to long\u2011term heart affects from chemotherapy.<\/p>

He said: \u201cA lot of what I went through was difficult but I\u2019ve turned it into something positive – it pushed me towards the career I have today. I just want to give back the care I received. I hope I can be a source of reassurance for children and parents because I\u2019ve been through it and I understand what that journey is like.\u201d<\/p>

After years of working in hospitals, children\u2019s hospices and community care, it was the Covid\u201119 pandemic – and a 12\u2011week period of isolation due to being clinically vulnerable – that convinced Dan to begin his nursing degree at Coventry University in 2023.<\/p>

Now 33 and still in remission, Dan has stepped into a nursing role on the Children\u2019s Ward at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.<\/p>

Dan, who is from Lichfield but now lives in Dudley, hopes more men consider nursing – especially in paediatrics.<\/p>

He said: \u201cWhen I was a child, the nurse who looked after me was male and he really stood out. There\u2019s such a need for more male nurses, especially for people who might feel more comfortable talking to a man.\u201d<\/p>

Dan says age should never be a barrier to what you want to achieve.<\/p>

He said: \u201cYou\u2019re never too old to go into nursing. If the drive is there, just go for it. We all bring something different because of our backgrounds. Ask for help, be resilient and find what keeps you grounded. Just don\u2019t let age stop you.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Source – Birmingham Women and Children\u2019s NHS foundation Trust<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Childhood cancer survivor Dan Laird has fulfilled his lifelong ambition of becoming a children\u2019s nurse, inspired by the care he received at Birmingham Children\u2019s Hospital. Dan was diagnosed with leukaemia, which affects the blood and bone marrow, at just six years old and spent three years undergoing intensive treatment. Inspired […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12777,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nLeukaemia survivor fulfils childhood dream of becoming a nurse - Kevin Kararwa Leukaemia Trust<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kkltrust.org\/?p=12772\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Leukaemia survivor fulfils childhood dream of becoming a nurse\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Childhood cancer survivor Dan Laird has fulfilled his lifelong ambition of becoming a children\u2019s nurse, inspired by the care he received at Birmingham Children\u2019s Hospital. 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