TWO men who struck up a strong friendship during a Christmas spent in hospital undergoing gruelling treatment for blood cancer are marking 12 years in remission.

Andy, 35, from Dawlish, met Chris in 2011 when they were both being treated for aggressive forms of leukaemia.

Now the pair, who have remained friends, are supporting Leukaemia UK’s latest fundraising appeal to fund research into better, kinder treatments.

Andy was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) on December 1 2011 when he was just 22.

He said: ‘Truly the worst Christmas present I’ve received.’

But meeting Chris and going through treatment together on the same ward, helped them both with their recovery, he said.

‘Our very childish shared sense of humour got us both through it.’

For ALL, which Andy had, just under 40 out of 100 people aged over 20 with the most common B-cell type ALL will survive their leukaemia for five years or more after being diagnosed.

‘We never talked about our survival chances,’ said Andy.

‘It was never in our mindset. We both had a very similar positive mental attitude.

‘We didn’t want to know because even if it was one per cent, that was going to be us.’

After several rounds of chemotherapy, Andy had a transplant with his brother donating the stem cells.

Chris and Andy have met a number of times and still keep in touch.

Andy, who now has two children with wife Tara, works as a fleet delivery manager for Hitachi Rail.

Chris, who was working as a police officer, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) after several months of tiredness, leg pain and a cough aged 51.

He said: ‘I couldn’t believe it could be true.

‘I was very fit and active, and my two youngest sons were only 11 and seven.’

One thing that helped keep his spirits up was his new friend Andy, who was on the same ward having treatment.

The pair came from similar military backgrounds and discovered a shared sense of humour.

‘We would roam the wards in our Batman and Joker dressing gowns,’ said Chris.

‘We laughed so much and we both think, as do our families, that our meeting played a big part in our getting through the whole thing.’

After a lengthy period of recovery from their transplants, they remain in remission.

They hope eventually all those diagnosed will see many more Christmases like they have.

Chris said: ‘Andy got me through it all in a way no one else will ever be able to understand.’

Andy said: ‘I am convinced the attitude the two of us took to our leukaemia is what got us thought it – pure laughter in the face of adversity.

‘I don’t think the bond Chris and I have is comparable to any other.

‘I don’t get emotional much in life but thinking back to what we went through and how that chance meeting was a large contributing factor in me being here today makes me a bit of a wreck.

‘Both our families strongly believe our friendship made a huge contribution to our recovery.’