Simon Cummings, a father-of-two, suffered a broken neck after his rare cancer was misdiagnosed and written off as “ageing.”
The father, 53, was left in agonizing pain and was nearly paralyzed before being rushed to the hospital.
The event occurred in 2020 when Simon was chopping wood. A chip flew off and surprised him, causing him to jerk his head back.
Simon heard a loud crack in his neck, but said he didn't think much of it until I was crying on the floor in agony a few hours later.
“Had I not gone to the hospital when I did, I would have at the very least been completely paralyzed. Or worse, I may have still not been here at all.”
Medical professionals informed Simon and his wife Lisa that he was just “2mm away” from being fully paralyzed.
Leading up to the incident, Simon had experienced “a loss of strength” in his right arm, which he chalked up to a pinched nerve in his shoulder.
He also noticed his skin and eyes started yellowing, but assuming it was related to aging.
Even after Simon broke his neck, doctors were confused by the symptoms and were unable to provide a diagnosis for nine months.
Simon commented on the confusing time, saying: “All I knew was I had a broken neck, which was very scary – but as I didn't feel like I had a broken neck, I suppose I didn't give the 'what ifs.' 'much of a thought.
“It's when you start discussing it with loved ones that you start thinking about those things.
“I started to worry about not being able to provide for my family, spending time with Lisa, playing with our son and our plans to have a sibling for him.”
Finally, Simon was diagnosed in September 2020 with myeloma, a rare blood cancer that can cause easily broken bones, fatigue, unexplained bruising, and abnormal bleeding.
In the following months, Simon underwent chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. He was declared cancer-free in April 2021.
The disease unfortunately returned in May 2024, but Simon has since been informed that he is once again in remission.
Myeloma is incurable, and Simon will likely face relapses for the rest of his life.
He said: “I just want to see my kids grow up and make sure that everything we've worked for over the last 30 years doesn't get spoiled by cancer. I want to enjoy our children together.”
Simon says that identifying symptoms early is the key to reducing the impact of myeloma.
The brave father supports blood cancer charity Myeloma UK in their campaign to raise awareness of the rare disease.
He said: He said: “There's every chance it could kill you, but you've got to get over the initial shock of the Big C.
“Every cancer is different and you never hear about the good stuff, or the things that can get better.”