Personal trainer Gemma Seager has turned her own blood cancer diagnosis into a lifeline for others with ‘Reboot Boxes’. This Blood Cancer Awareness Month, Gemma explains how the ultimate aim is for every stem cell transplant patient in the UK to receive a box
Blood cancer affects over 40,000 people in the UK each year, making it the fifth most common cancer, yet it often remains overlooked. This September, Blood Cancer Awareness Month highlights the thousands facing this life-changing diagnosis, including Gemma Seager, a Norwich-based personal trainer who is transforming her own experience into a lifeline for others. In 2021, at the age of 42, Gemma was diagnosed with the incurable blood cancer Multiple Myeloma, after her bad back turned out to be a collapsed vertebra. She had been an active personal trainer, passionate about running, the gym, and roller derby, when her world turned upside down. Her best chance of remission was an autologous stem cell transplant – a gruelling treatment that replaces damaged blood cells with healthy ones.
In December 2021, during a rising wave of COVID-19 cases, Gemma underwent the procedure at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH). As the treatment wipes out your immune system she spent two weeks in hospital isolation, including Christmas Day.
“It was a lonely experience,” she said. “The treatment tested me physically, emotionally, and mentally. There were moments when it was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
“Thanks to the generosity of my friends and family, I had gifts and little luxuries that made all the difference. Those small comforts helped me feel cared for and less alone.”
Inspired by that support and by organisations like Little Lifts, which provide gift boxes to people undergoing breast cancer treatment, Gemma dreamed of creating something similar for stem cell transplant patients.
Nearly three years later, in November 2024, she launched her pilot scheme and delivered six self-funded ‘Reboot boxes’, thoughtfully curated care packages for patients at NNUH, where she had received her own treatment.
This year, Gemma officially launched A Life in Progress CIC, a not-for-profit organisation with a simple but powerful mission: to provide every stem cell transplant patient in the UK with a Reboot Box
“Blood cancer doesn’t get the attention it deserves. It can affect anyone, at any age. And while some fantastic charities exist, support isn’t always easy to access,” Gemma explained.
“Each Reboot Box is filled with the items that helped me to deal with the physical and emotional side effects – moisturiser, lip balm, warm socks, an adult colouring book, pens, cordial and more. It’s a box of comfort, support, and hope.”
NNUH is one of fewer than 50 transplant centres in the UK and carries out 35–40 transplants each year. Since launching the pilot, Gemma has raised enough funds to provide every transplant patient at NNUH with a Reboot Box to the end of 2025. But she’s not stopping there.
According to the British Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, 4,644 adults received a stem cell transplant in the UK in 2023. “First Norfolk… then the world. Okay, the UK!” she laughs.
Bone Marrow Transplant Co-ordinator at the NNUH, Ryan Roffey, said: “The Reboot Boxes have been a fantastic new offering for our patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplants. The 2-3 week stay in hospital can be lonely and gruelling for some and it must be a wonderful reassurance for people that someone else knows what they are going through and has produced this curated care package.
“Gemma Seager is one of our previous patients who has taken it upon herself to start this initially out of her own pocket and we (ourselves and our other patients) are extremely grateful to her. It is a great feeling to be able to give someone this nice surprise before their elective admission and having seen the contents myself I am sure that a lot of it will be very useful but will also bring some small joy to people who are about to undergo what can be an extremely difficult chapter in their treatment. I am more than happy to continue supporting the Reboot Boxes in any way that I can.”
One of the first recipients of a Reboot Box was Debbie Storey, a 43-year-old mum of two undergoing a transplant for relapsed Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
“I was terrified of the intensive treatment I was facing and the thought of leaving my children for three weeks was breaking my heart,” Debbie said.
“Receiving the Reboot Box was a small act of kindness that made a huge difference. It reminded me I wasn’t alone. Others had faced this and come through it. I used and appreciated every item in the box during my stay.”
Now, Gemma needs your help to make her vision a reality. By supporting A Life in Progress CIC, you can help Gemma bring Reboot Box to patients across the UK—offering comfort, courage, and connection when they need it most.
To support the mission or learn more, visit A Life in Progress – Stem Cell Transplant Reboot Boxes.
Featured image of (left to right) Ryan Roffey and Gemma Seager – supplied
Leave a Reply