A father endured seven years of unnecessary and gruelling cancer treatment after doctors mistakenly diagnosed him with a rare and incurable blood cancer. Simon Pearson, 41, was repeatedly treated at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton after being told his fatigue was due to polycythaemia vera and haemochromatosis.
Believing he had a fatal condition, Mr Pearson underwent 42 injections to remove blood from his body between 2017 and 2025. It was only during a routine appointment last June that a nurse flagged concerns, and subsequent tests confirmed he had none of the conditions.
Mr Pearson has launched legal action with medical negligence solicitors Irwin Mitchell after the Trust admitted a breach of duty. The hospital acknowledged that appropriate care could have prevented the 42 procedures. A separate patient safety investigation found he was 'subjected to clinical practice that has caused harm' and uncovered no medical evidence to support the diagnoses.
Mr Pearson, who lives with his wife and two sons, said he was left terrified he would die and suffered side effects including headaches and fatigue. He said: 'For years I was in and out of hospital, believing I had a condition that could eventually kill me... I keep asking myself how could this have gone on for so long?'
His solicitor, Victoria Zinzan, said: '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 George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust has apologised and said it has put steps in place to prevent a similar misdiagnosis.
