Blood Tests & The Rugby Team Inside Your Body 🏉

When you’re battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), your blood tests become the match scoreboard—showing the doctors how your body’s team is playing against the illness.

Inside your bloodstream, you’ve got a full rugby squad working together to keep you strong. Some defend, some attack, some heal, and some call the shots.

Here’s how your blood team is set up:

🏉 The Forwards – The Power Pack (Haemoglobin – Hb)
🏉 The Backs – The Speedsters (White Blood Cells – WCC)
🏉 The Physios – The Medical Support (Platelets)
🏉 The Coaches – The Game Managers (Neutrophils)

Let’s break it down so even a 10-year-old rugby champ can understand!

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🏉 The Forwards – The Power Pack (Haemoglobin – Hb)

Haemoglobin (Hb) is like your front row, locks, and back row—the big lads who do the hard graft, carry the ball, and keep the scrum solid.

💪 Their job? Get oxygen around your body, just like how the forwards keep the game moving up the field.

What’s a Good Score?

✔️ Above 110 – Your scrum is rock solid, plenty of energy for the full 80 minutes.
⚠️ Below 80 – The pack is gassing out. You’ll feel tired, sluggish, and may need a transfusion to bring the energy back.
❌ Below 60 – The team is collapsing in the scrum—your body urgently needs help!

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🏉 The Backs – The Speedsters (White Blood Cells – WCC)

White blood cells are your wings, scrum-half, and fly-half—the fast movers and playmakers. They’re quick to react when a problem (infection) kicks off.

🌬️ Their job? Spot infections early and take them out before they can score against your body.

What’s a Good Score?

✔️ 4-11 – The backline is sharp, ready to tackle anything.
⚠️ Below 3 – They’re struggling—your defence is weak, and infections could break through.
❌ Below 1 – The opposition is running riot! You have little to no defence. Infections could be dangerous!

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🏉 The Physios – The Medical Support (Platelets)

Platelets are like the physios and medical team—whenever there’s a knock, they rush in to patch up the damage and stop the bleeding.

👨‍⚕️ Their job? Help your blood clot, heal cuts, and stop excessive bruising.

What’s a Good Score?

✔️ 150+ – No issues, injuries heal up fast.
⚠️ Below 50 – Takes longer for cuts to stop bleeding, bruises appear more easily.
❌ Below 20 – The team is out of strapping tape—bleeding won’t stop, and you may need a platelet transfusion.

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🏉 The Coaches – The Game Managers (Neutrophils)

Neutrophils are your coaches and team analysts—the ones making sure everything is running smoothly and defending the try line against infections.

🧑‍🏻 Their job? Spot trouble early and organise the team’s defence. If these numbers drop too low, it’s like a team without tactics—chaos!

What’s a Good Score?

✔️ Above 1.5 – The game plan is solid, defence is tight.
⚠️ Below 1 – Risk of infection is growing—extra precautions needed.
❌ Below 0.5 – No one is calling the shots—this is called neutropenia. Even a small infection could become serious!

⚠️ When neutrophils hit 0, it’s lockdown mode!
No big crowds, no unnecessary contact, and absolutely NO GERMS ALLOWED. Hospitals get extra careful when this happens.

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But Wait – This Drop in Numbers Means the Chemo is Working!

As a parent, seeing these numbers fall can be terrifying. But here’s the thing—this is actually what’s supposed to happen.

Chemotherapy’s job is to wipe out the leukaemia, but in doing so, it also temporarily knocks down the good blood cells. It’s a necessary evil—one of the hardest parts of treatment. So while you won’t like seeing those numbers drop, remember: ✔️ It means the chemo is doing its job.
✔️ The doctors are monitoring everything closely.
✔️ The body will recover and rebuild after each round.

It’s tough, but this is part of the battle plan.

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Parents – What Can You Control?

This is where you feel out of control—you can’t fix these numbers yourself, and that’s tough. BUT you can help your child’s team perform at its best!

🏉 Fuel the Team for the Win!

✔️ Hydration is Key – 2 litres of water a day. It keeps the blood flowing, flushes out toxins, and supports recovery.
✔️ Iron-Rich Foods for Haemoglobin (Forwards) – Red meat, spinach, eggs, lentils—pack that scrum with power.
✔️ Protein for Recovery (Physios & Medical Team) – Chicken, fish, nuts—help rebuild the team after a tough match.
✔️ Smoothies for Vitamins (Coaches & Backs) – Sneak in berries, leafy greens, and seeds to fuel the brain & immune system.
✔️ Make It a Habit – When kids know why they need to drink and eat correctly, they’re more likely to do it!

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Final Whistle 🏉

Blood tests can feel like a rollercoaster, with numbers going up and down, but that’s all part of the battle. Stay informed, stay proactive, and focus on what you can control.

A strong team = a strong fight. Keep the hydration up, the nutrition balanced, and the mindset positive. We’re all in this together, one match-winning step at a time!

#SlamminSamB #RugbyVsCancer #ALLAwareness #OneTeamOneFight

⚠️ Disclaimer: I’m just a dad, not a doctor. Everything in this post is based on my experience and what I’ve learned along the way. Always follow the advice of your child’s medical team and consult your doctors for any concerns. We’re all in this fight together! 🏉💪

Just for context, these are my son’s readings these past couple of days: