A man revealed he ‘risked his life’ to finish building his dream ‘nature healing home’ in just 11 months in Grand Designs – following a life-threatening battle with cancer. In tonight’s episode of the Channel 4 show, Toby and Libby Leeming, both 37, told how their aspirations were placed on hold as he battled with acute myeloid leukaemia. After a year of treatments and a life-saving stem cell transplant, musician Toby went into remission, and proposed to his-then girlfriend Libby, going on to welcome their daughter, Margot, by IVF. As he rebuilt his life, Toby dreamed of giving Libby and Margot a dream home, by creating a new house from a series of five interlinked barn-like structures, wrapped in a horse shoe shape – all for a budget of £530K, and a deadline of just eight months. But Toby’s determination to finish the ambitious five-building home – more like a village than a house – containing six bedrooms, six bathrooms, a music studio and an annex – within the designated time frame, had an impact on his health.He admitted missing his monthly check ups at the hospital for 12 weeks in a row and told how it had ‘gone to the bottom of the list.’ Toby and Libby Leeming, both 37, from Suffolk who appear on tonight’s Grand Designs built a horseshoe-shaped home with interconnection buildings, linked by bridges. In the centre of the six bedroom property is a huge ancient oak tree, which the couple were determined to keep in place Toby (pictured in hospital) said when he was admitted to hospital while on tour in the US with his band – and added that his diagnosis was life-threatening The couple were keen to create their dream home in which they could raise their family and Toby’s health could recover. Pictured: The modern kitchen with teal cabinets and Scandi-style minimal furnishings The stunning six bedroom home is build in a horse-shoe shape around an ancient oak tree in East Suffolk. Pictured: A living area overlooking the central garden The couple maintained a minimalist and fresh style throughout their property, as they admitted they wanted to build a home where they could reinvent their life. Pictured: One of the home’s six bedrooms The stunning house features large rooms and huge windows which flood the living area with light ‘There are issues that go with building a house so fast,’ said Libby, as Toby added: ‘I do get myself wound up in moments of anxiety and all these lovely details I’ve thought about in my head for five years. I’m feeling quite tired.’ ‘I can quite quickly forget that I’ve been ill despite the number of pills I take in the morning. Sometimes I don’t look after myself as well as I could. And I could have real problems – potentially life threatening.’ Musician Toby had long dreamed of building his own home, but his plans were put on hold when he faced a traumatic battle with leukaemia.He fell ill while on tour with his band in the US in 2013, and was diagnosed with myelodysplasia, which turned into acute myeloid leukaemia.’It was life-threatening,’ explained Toby, recalling his time in hospital. ‘They whisked me away and asked me all kinds of terrifying questions.’Libby added: ‘They said he may not make it through the night.’ He was told that a stem cell transplant was his only hope of survival and that, unfortunately, his brother wasn’t a match.But after months in isolation, undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, he was matched with a stranger from the Anthony Nolan stem cell donor list, and underwent a successful transplant. Toby’s determination to finish the ambitious five-building home – more like a village than a house – containing six bedrooms, six bathrooms, a music studio and an annex – within the designated time frame, proved detrimental to his health. Pictured, attending hospital Libby Leeming burst into tears and admitted she was in disbelief that she and husband Toby were finally building their dream home after his cancer battle The couple were delighted to be building their family home after their dreams were placed on hold while Toby battled leukemia With a budget of £530,000 the couple set themselves a tight deadline of just eight months to complete their dream home – and only went £15k over budget The couple decided to complement the woodland setting by making sure there were plenty of wooden fixtures and features in the house Libby welled up as she described how they were both in disbelief while finally building their home During his recovery, ideas for a radical new home came thick and fast – with Toby wanting a place were he could re-invent his life and improve his health. The concept he devised was a horseshoe arrangement of buildings, linked by walkways, set around an ancient oak tree. The couple started building in October 2018 and said they wanted to build a ‘modern family home,’ but with a budget of just £530,000, and a deadline of just eight months, they faced an uphill battle to complete the project. As an overwhelmed Libby watched while builders erected the structure in the woodland, she said: ‘I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it.’She went on: ‘He can’t believe it either. He comes back at night and he’s so excited. It’s so amazing to see.’What is acute myeloid leukaemia?Acute myeloid leukaemia is an aggressive and rare form of blood cancer.The symptoms of AML usually develop over a few weeks and become more severe. According to NHS Choices, the symptoms include: Pale SkinTirednessBreathlessnessFrequent infectionsUnusual and frequent bleeding – including the gums and nosebleedsIn advanced cases, patients are incredibly vulnerable to life-threatening infections and internal bleeding. If a GP suspects leukaemia, they will arrange a blood test to determine blood cell production. In AML, stem cells within the patient’s bone marrow produce too many immature white blood cells, which are not capable of fighting infection. This also can lead to a decrease in production of the oxygen-carrying red blood cells and platelets that help the blood to clot. Each year around 2,600 people in the UK are diagnosed with blood cancer. After diagnosis, patients need urgent chemotherapy due to the aggressive nature of the cancer. In some cases, radiotherapy may be needed along with a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. Source: NHS Choices As she spoke, her eyes filled with tears and she rushed off camera as she said: ‘And I can’t believe we’ve got here. Yeah – sorry.’ However, the couple were forced to balance Toby’s desire to finish the house in just eight months with his continued health issues. Toby, who has to attend hospital check-ups every four to six weeks, also develops a build up of Ferritin in his blood as a legacy of his bone marrow transplant.This means he must have a pint drained every four-six weeks which often leaves him feeling exhausted – but he admitted to skipping the appointments as his ambitious build became his priority. ‘It is manageable,’ said Toby. ‘I just need to take breaks, as I get out of puff.’But his persistence left Libby concerned and she admitted: ‘He ignores it quite a lot. He doesn’t like to talk about it a lot. He feels like he wants to achieve. He thought about it four-and-a-half-years ago, and wrote it on that notepad, and that’s how he wants it.’ The couple built their home in a giant horse-shoe shape, to take advantage of an ancient oak tree that could offer shade from the centre Toby (left) bravely admitted he had been motivated to build the home in order to leave a ‘safe place’ for his wife and daughter ‘if anything happened’ with his health As she spoke, Libby’s eyes filled with tears and she rushed off camera as she said: ‘And I can’t believe we’ve got here. Yeah – sorry’However, presenter Kevin McCloud is amazed when he returns, 11 months after the couple started the project, to discover they have near-finished their home and moved in.Toby and Libby revealed they have spent just £15,000 more than their budget, and now feel they finally have a room they can relax in. ‘It’s a wonderful place to be,’ enthused Toby. ‘It feels a bit of a daydream at the minute.’And in heartbreaking scenes, he revealed his motivation and sheer drive behind the project had been providing a home for his family in case his cancer returned. ‘I hadn’t really thought about the motivations behind building the house, but it is a safe place to be,’ he explained. ‘A safe place to come back to, a safe place to leave if anything happens to me.’He added: ‘There are potential pitfalls ahead, but there is a safe place for Margot and Libs.’Grand Designs aired tonight at 9pm on Channel 4 The couple were forced to balance Toby’s determination to complete the project and his on-going health risks The couple created their home in a horseshoe arrangement of buildings , linked by wooden walkways
Grand Designs: Man reveals he ‘risked his life’ to build dream six-bed house following cancer battle
