Man’s boozing habit was sign of cancer that spread to his brain

A super-fit tennis teacher has been left fighting brain tumours after a harmless ‘cyst’ on his neck turned out to be a deadly skin cancer that’s spread throughout his body. 

But oddly, the first sign something was wrong was a strange inability to hold his drink.

In October 2023, Simon Bowler, 50, started to notice he was feeling 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 not feel anything.’ 

Within a week, a lump appeared on his neck, which was initially dismissed as a cyst by doctors.

This was coupled by a ‘strange head fuzz’, as well as blurred vision in the evening, which left him ‘struggling to relax’. 

Simon wasn’t convinced that the cyst on his neck was ‘harmless’, and eventually returned to his GP who referred him for an ultrasound scan, followed by a biopsy of the growth.

The tests eventually revealed the cyst was in fact melanoma—the deadliest type of skin cancer that kills more than 2,000 Britons every year and is on the rise in those under 65.

Simon, who is being supported by his wife Tracey, said of his devastating diagnosis: ‘I was driving to work when I got a call from my doctor. 

‘He asked if I was sitting down. I told him I was driving, and he asked me to pull over.

‘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 lumps in his neck. 

Four months later he began a year-long course of immunotherapy to prevent recurrence and started a regular schedule of routine MRI and CT scans to monitor for changes.

But within nine months the cancer had spread to his brain—and suddenly some of the symptoms he had been experiencing began to make sense.

Simon said: ‘To be honest, I didn’t feel right in my head.

‘I started having blurred vision again, and I couldn’t switch off at night.’

The following month, Simon underwent a highly targetted form of radiotherapy to blast the tumour in his brain, and eventually resumed immunotherapy drugs. 

But after just one dose of the drug in March 2025, Simon became violently ill and was unable to use the toilet due to his bowel not functioning properly.

He was hospitalised for 10 days and placed on a high dose of steroids to help combat the symptoms, which caused severe nerve damage to his legs and hands.

Simon said: ‘I felt numb, battered. It was like I’d been hit by a truck.

‘I’ve got wobbly legs now and a right hand that can barely grip a racket, let alone type. But I’m still trying.

‘That hospital stay nearly broke me. When I got home, I’d just burst into tears for days. It stripped away everything that felt like me.’

Simon is currently taking a pause from treatment and meeting with his oncology team to determine the next steps.

Half of those with melanoma that’s spread to other parts of the body will not survive longer than five years, according to studies.  

Melanoma is caused by cellular damage from UV and UVB rays from the sun and tanning beds.

And recent research suggests that the disease is on the rise in younger people. 

Earlier this year, researchers from the US found that cases of five particular cancers were rising in adults under 50: melanoma, along with cervical cancer, stomach cancer, cancer of the bones and joints, and plasma cell neoplasms—a type of cancer affecting the lymph system. 

Meanwhile, seperate UK studies have identified a seven per cent rise in young people, aged 25-49 over the last decade.

A common misconception is that melanoma solely affects the skin on the face, body, and limbs, but it can also develop on other areas vulnerable to sun damage—the mouth, scalp, nail beds, soles of the feet, palm of the hands and fingers. 

To avoid the disease, experts advise using sunscreen with a high SPF, applying it 30 minutes before going outside, covering up as much as possible to avoid sunburn, and keeping babies and children out of the sun.

In May, Simon launched a GoFundMe page, which has now raised nearly £7,000.

He’s using the funds to start a new business selling tennis accessories and plans to donate a portion of sales to Macmillan, the NHS, and mental health charities.

‘It’s OK to cry,’ he said. ‘It’s OK to admit you’re not OK.

‘I’ve been stripped of a lot of my identity—but I haven’t lost my will to keep going.’

‘I just want to get back to helping people, mentoring young players, and showing them what resilience looks like.’