Matt Meads avoided anything unhealthy in the hopes of living as long as possible (Picture: Kennedy News and Media)

A health-obsessed teacher who avoided anything unhealthy in the hopes of living for as long as possible died just days after a bombshell leukaemia diagnosis aged just 33.

Matt Meads shunned alcohol, smoking and junk food and strived to exercise and eat well in order to avoid health problems later in life.

So when he began suffering stomach pains, night sweats and fatigue for weeks at a time, he and wife Abi, 27, dismissed it as general end-of-term tiredness.

But the couple were shell-shocked when a blood test revealed Matt had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer.

Abi said her husband did everything he could to try and prevent anything from happening to him, but was helpless when it came to the disease.

His health quickly deteriorated and he passed away from a pulmonary embolism after just three chemotherapy sessions 20 days after diagnosis.

Abi, from Nottingham, described the horror of losing her soulmate, and urged others to get themselves checked out and demand a blood test if they have develop similar symptoms.

Ive got so many people around me offering help and support but I still feel really lonely because Ive lost my best mate, my husband, my soulmate, she said.

Matt was a really happy person. He was really positive. He was kind, caring, loving, wicked sense of humour. He would make a joke about anything and was very quick-witted.

As a teacher he would have done anything for his students. He would have done anything for his family. He was just a really positive person who would have done anything for anybody.

He loved his sport. He would go to the gym, he loved being outside and walking. He liked cycling. He was careful about what he ate.

Everything the doctors warn you about, he didnt do. He didnt drink, he didnt smoke, he had a good diet, he exercised.

He always put sun cream on because he was paranoid he might catch skin cancer or something.

He did everything he could to try and prevent anything from happening to him. As the doctors said there was nothing he could have done to prevent this.

Matt first started mentioning his tiredness on July 6, and Abi told him to go to the doctor after he started vomiting to the point of being unable to keep ice cubes down.

After visiting his GP and being referred to hospital, he was told he had gastroenteritis or constipation, but it wasnt until he returned for a second time that they did a blood test.

Abi, also a teacher, said: Obviously I wish it was spotted sooner. I dont feel any anger towards to the hospital. I genuinely believe they did everything they could for him.

She now wants others complaining of similar symptoms to be persistent in demanding a blood test.

You know your own body, she said.

If youve got it for days and its not getting any better, if youre in any doubt, get it checked. We didnt know what the symptoms were.

The only one I knew was bruising, but Matt didnt have any bruises until he was in hospital.

So the one thing I knew wasnt relevant.

I didnt realise about the night sweats, fatigue or heavy breathing.

We never expected it would be that. We had thought worst case scenario it was gallstones or an impacted bowel, so when he came and said leukaemia it was just unexpected.

When youre poorly you have all these possibilities going through your head but you never think its going to be that.

I had a really good chat with Matts consultant where I questioned whether I should have done more, if I had spotted things sooner, whether if I had been more pushy in getting him to hospital.

But the symptoms are vague and it can come on within days. It doesnt have to be something that has been happening for weeks or months.

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is an aggressive and quickly progressing type of cancer affecting white blood cells. Around 790 adults in the UK are diagnosed with it in the UK each year.

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