A diagnostic error with dramatic consequences. In October 2023, Simon Bowler, 50, noticed unusual changes in his daily life. Without understanding why, he realizes that he feels drunk after a single glass of red wine. “”I can usually drink a bottle of wine without feeling anything“, Ensures the tennis coach. He also notices the presence of a size on his neck but the doctors are then reassuring and assure him that it is a cyst.
The fifties feel other symptoms including a blurred vision in the evening. Worried, he returns to see his doctor who guides him to perform an ultrasound and then a biopsy. These exams reveal that it is actually a melanoma. “”I was on the way to work when I received a call from my doctor. He asked me if I was sitting. I replied that I was driving, and he asked me to stop. I then understood that it was bad news. He said they suspected cancer“, He recalls. In France, 17,922 new cases of skin melanomas were estimated for the year 2023 (9,109 men and 8,813 women). In 2018, 1,980 deaths were recorded.
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In February 2024, Simon underwent an operation to remove the initial and secondary bumps from his neck. Four months later, he began a year -long immunotherapy treatment to prevent recurrences. But, in nine months, cancer spreads to its brain. “”To be honest, I didn’t feel well in my head. I started to have fuzzy views again and I could no longer disconnect at night“, Says Simon, quoted by the Daily Mail.
“It is as if I had been overthrown by a truck”
Quickly, he received a form of targeted radiotherapy to destroy the tumor in his brain. But, in March 2025, he fell ill and could no longer go to the toilet due to a dysfunction of his intestines. He was then hospitalized for ten days and receives a large dose of steroids. “”I felt numb, shot down. It was as if I had been overturned by a truck. My legs are shaking now and my right hand can barely hold a racket, and even less type on a keyboard. But I hang on.“
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Simon has launched an online prize pool, thanks to the funds raised, he wishes to start a new tennis accessories sales company and plans to donate part of the sales to health establishments and charitable health associations. “”It’s normal to cry. It’s normal to admit that you are not going well. I was stripped of a large part of my identity, but I have not lost my will to continue. I just want to start helping people, supervising young players and showing them what resilience looks like.“
According to figures from the National Cancer Institute, 70 % of melanomas are linked to excessive sun exposure. To limit the risk, it is recommended to avoid the sun between 12 and 16 hours, to protect yourself with clothes, a hat and sunglasses and apply a high protection sunscreen, at least 20 minutes before going out and at least every 2 hours. It must also be applied after swimming.
