A super fit tennis teacher is left against brain tumors after a harmless ‘cyst’ in his neck turned out to be a deadly skin cancer that spreads over his body.
But strangely enough, the first sign was that something was wrong, a strange inability to hold his drink.
In October 2023, Simon Bowler, 50, began to note that he felt drunk after just one glass of red wine.
The tennis coach, from Thorley Wood, Hertfordshire, said, “I can usually drink a bottle of wine and feel nothing.”
Within a week a lump appeared in his neck, which was initially rejected by doctors as a cyst.
This was coupled by a ‘strange head fuzz’, as well as blurry view in the evening, so that he ‘struggled to relax’.
Simon was not convinced that the cyst in his neck was ‘harmless’ and eventually returned to his doctor who referred him for an ultrasound, followed by a biopsy of growth.
The tests ultimately showed that the cyst was in fact melanoma – the deadliest type of skin cancer that kills more than 2,000 British every year and is in the elevator in those younger than 65.
Simon Bowler was initially told that a lump in his neck was a cyst and nothing to worry about
He has been undergoing a debilitating immunotherapy since his first diagnosis
Simon, who is supported by his wife Tracey, said about his devastating diagnosis: ‘I drove to work when I received a phone call from my doctor.
“He asked if I sat down. I told him I was driving and he asked me to stop.
“Then I knew it was bad news. He said they suspected cancer. ‘
In February 2024, Simon underwent a successful operation to remove both the initial and secondary nodules in his neck.
Four months later he started immunotherapy for a year to prevent repetition and started a regular schedule of routine MRI and CT scans to check for changes.
But within nine months the cancer had spread to his brain – and suddenly some of the symptoms he had experienced logical.
Simon said: ‘To be honest, I didn’t feel well in my head.
‘I started to have a blur again and I couldn’t switch off at night. ‘
Simon with one of his tennis students – because his diagnosis with brain cancer he is unable to hold a racket
The following month Simon underwent a very targeted form of radiotherapy to shoot the tumor in his brain and eventually resumed immunotherapy medication.
But after just one dose of the drug in March 2025, Simon became violently ill and could not use the toilet because his intestine was not functioning properly.
He was admitted to hospital for 10 days and placed on a high dose of steroids to help fight the symptoms that caused severe nerve damage to his legs and hands.
Simon said: ‘I felt numb, damaged. It was as if I had been hit by a truck.
‘I now have wobbly legs and a right hand that can hardly grab a racket, let alone type. But I still try.
“That hospital stay almost broke me. When I got home, I would burst into tears for days. It discovered everything that felt like me. ‘
Simon is currently taking a break from the treatment and meeting with his oncology team to determine the next steps.
Half of those with melanoma that is spread to other parts of the body will not survive for more than five years, according to studies.
Simon is supported by his wife Tracey and started with a GoFundme
Melanoma is caused by cellular damage caused by UV and UVB rays of the sun and tanning beds.
And recent research suggests that the disease is increasing in younger people.
Earlier this year, researchers from the US discovered that cases of five specific cancers increased in adults younger than 50: melanoma, together with cervical cancer, stomach cancer, bones and joint cancer, and plasma -leplasmata – a type of cancer that influences the lymph system.
In the meantime, individual British studies have identified an increase of seven percent in young people, the past decade of 25-49 years old.
A common misconception is that melanoma only influences the skin on the face, body and limbs, but it can also develop in other areas that are vulnerable to sun damage – the mouth, scalp, nail beds, soles of the feet, the palm of the hands and fingers.
To prevent the disease, experts advise the use of sunscreen with a high SPF, apply for 30 minutes before they go outside, cover as much as possible to prevent sunburn and keep babies and children out of the sun.
In May Simon launched a Gofundme Pagewho has now collected almost £ 7,000.
He uses the funds to start a new company that sells tennis accessories and is planning to donate part of the sale to Macmillan, the NHS and the charities for mental health care.
“It’s okay to cry,” he said. ‘It’s okay to admit that you are not doing well.
“I am stripped of much of my identity – but I have not lost my will to continue.”
“I just want to go back to helping people, guiding young players and showing what resilience looks like.”
#Tennis #Champ #tipsy #beer #sign #deadly #cancer #young #people