A father from Tamworth endured seven years of unnecessary and gruelling medical treatment after being wrongly diagnosed with terminal blood cancer. Simon Pearson, 41, was told he had polycythaemia vera, a slow-growing blood cancer, by George Eliot Hospital in 2017 after experiencing tiredness, a high red blood cell count, and abnormal iron levels.
He was further misdiagnosed with haemochromatosis, a genetic disorder causing toxic iron buildup. Believing he had a terminal illness, Pearson underwent more than 40 procedures to remove blood from his body. It was not until June 2025, when a nurse raised concerns during a routine appointment, that tests revealed he had none of the conditions.
Pearson, who has a needle phobia, described the trauma of believing he could die and the guilt of potentially passing a genetic condition to his children. He said: '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.'
After instructing medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, the George Eliot NHS Trust admitted a breach of duty. The trust acknowledged that with appropriate care, Pearson would likely have avoided 42 unnecessary procedures between 2017 and 2025.
Victoria Zinzan, the specialist lawyer representing Pearson, 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.' She welcomed the trust's early admission of liability but stressed the need for lessons to be learned.
Dr Naj Rashid, Chief Medical Officer for George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, apologised, stating: 'Mr Pearson's care had undoubtedly fallen below our usually high standards and caused significant distress to him.' The trust has carried out an investigation and implemented actions to prevent recurrence.
