Dad 'lies awake at night' after 7 years of treatment for condition he never had
A traumatised dad says he 'lies awake at night' after undergoing seven years of unncessary treatment for terminal cancer than he didn't even have. Simon Pearson was diagnosed with polycythaemia vera, a slow-growing blood cancer, which he was told was terminal.The 41-year-old from Tamworth, Staffordshire, was referred to the George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton in 2017. It came after he had a high red blood cell count and abnormal iron levels.Following his original diagnosis, he was subsequently misdiagnosed with haemochromatosis, a genetic disorder which causes the body to accumulate toxic levels of iron that can lead to organ damage.This left him living in fear that he had terminal blood cancer, and he went on to undergo more than 40 unnecessary procedures to remove blood from his body, reports Coventry Live.It wasn't until over seven years later, when a nurse raised concerns about Simon's condition during a routine appointment in June 2025, that the truth began to emerge. Subsequent tests revealed he had none of the conditions he had previously been diagnosed with.After enlisting the expertise of medical negligence solicitors at Irwin Mitchell, the George Eliot Trust admitted a breach of duty in relation to misdiagnosing Simon's conditions. The Trust acknowledged that, had appropriate care been provided, Simon would likely have avoided the 42 procedures he underwent between 2017 and 2025 to extract blood from his body.'Lie awake at night terrified'The 41-year-old, who admitted to having a severe fear of needles, has opened up about the trauma he endured as a result of the misdiagnosis and the devastating impact it had not only on his own life, but on his family's too."For years I was in and out of hospital, believing I had a condition that could eventually kill me – sometimes lying awake all night, terrified," he said."There was also the fear that it was genetic and something I could pass on to my children. I felt so guilty and constantly worried about their future."I had no reason to dispute anything that I was told and put my trust in the doctors. Then to be suddenly told I may not have any of the conditions came as a complete shock."He added: "I keep asking myself how could this have gone on for so long? I still can't quite believe how care I didn't need went on for so long. Throughout that time I suffered from side effects including headaches and fatigue. My quality of life and ability to work were affected, and I struggled to provide for my family."I'm still struggling to come to terms with the fact it was all a mistake. At times, it feels like I've lost my sense of reality."I've always had a real phobia of needles, so repeatedly having blood taken from me was traumatic."He added: "I want to share my story to raise awareness in the hope that something is done to improve care standards. I don't want anyone else to go through what I've been through." Victoria Zinzan, the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Simon, added: "Simon spent years believing he was living with a serious and potentially life-limiting illness, undergoing repeated and inappropriate hospital procedures, which caused him harm."The past few years have taken a significant financial, physical and emotional toll on Simon who remains shocked and upset at what he's had to endure."Although nothing can make up for what he's been through, we welcome the Hospital Trust's early admission of liability and are now working with the Trust to ensure Simon has access to the support he requires to try and move forward with his life."However, worrying failings have been identified in Simon's care and it's vital that lessons are learned to improve patient safety."George Eliot Hospital issues statementIn a statement, Dr Naj Rashid, Chief Medical Officer for George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, said: "I would like to offer our sincere apologies to Mr Pearson for the failings in the care he received from us."Mr Pearson's care had undoubtedly fallen below our usually high standards and caused significant distress to him. We are working with him to ensure he has our full support going forward."The Trust has carried out a thorough investigation into what went wrong and have put in place actions to address issues identified to ensure this is not able to happen again."Want to see more of the stories you love from the Irish Mirror? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives... To add Irish Mirror as a preferred source, simply click here.
