A family have spoken of their devastation after 'neck pain' led to a man's heartbreaking diagnosis and intense medical treatment. Jack Fisher, 24, has been in intensive care at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre for more than 60 days after undergoing treatment for a rare tumour in June.
Mr Fisher, who was just about to finish his Master's in history at the University of Leicester, had his life turned upside down just before Christmas 2021 when he noticed pain in his neck and an increasingly concerning set of symptoms. He has since been diagnosed with a paraganglioma glomus tumour, although a histology is currently taking place to confirm this diagnosis is correct.
His uncle Ted Miller, 42, who lives in Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire, said it was "really fortunate" his nephew was still alive. Mr Miller, who works for National Highways and is currently hosting Jack's mum while he receives treatment in Nottingham, said: "He had real neck pain at the start of it, with the tumour sat behind the back of his ear pressing on the cerebellum, which co-ordinates a lot of functions.
"He went to the doctor's and got some painkillers but then after a while he couldn't hold food down and was being sick all the time. When he went to the doctor's they had booked him in for a MRI on his neck but he had started to lose balance over a six-month period and couldn't look after himself.
"Really fortunately the Leicester GP contacted him about the MRI being booked - we didn't want him to go as he was so unwell but he took himself and they discovered the tumour. If they hadn't I don't think that he would be alive.
"He was just completing his Master's in Leicester where he lives but the brain tumour had been growing for a number of years they think. He had lots of symptoms for a six month period that the doctors couldn't explain but it was because the tumour was pushing on his brain."
Mr Fisher was transferred immediately to QMC, with surgeons choosing to operate due to the severity of the tumour. His uncle praised the staff at QMC's intensive care unit, where Mr Fisher has been for the past two months since the nine-hour operation.
"We've had fantastic support from the surgeons and their preference was not to operate, but because of the size and position they had to operate in June. In the operation there was heavy bleeding in the brain so they had to stop - they had took some of the tumour out but they needed to put him in intensive care because he had significant swelling in the brain. He's now been in intensive care for around 60 days, he's had seven emergency operations in intensive care to keep him alive and try stem the swelling.
"At this stage we don't know how long it's going to be before he gets out of intensive care, what exactly the road to recovery is from there, or if he will have any function loss or permanent damage from what he's experienced. It's a really hard emotional rollercoaster for all of the family - we've had long periods in intensive care when he's been completely non-responsive and we've had some real highlights where he's shown real signs of recovery, and then the next day he's gone the other way."
Mr Fisher's family and friends are now arranging a charity walk to raise money for his recovery and for QMC, with Mr Miller set to walk 26 miles from QMC to Farnsfield. Some taking part are walking in St Lucia while on holiday on the West Indies island, Mr Fisher's brother will walk in Canada and other family members will be taking part from America.
Mr Miller added: "We've decided to try do something positive for him, my family are spread far and wide and we've organised a set of walks across the country and internationally, to raise as much money as we can to support him in recovery partially but also to give money back to QMC for the amazing work they do. My sister/his mother lives in Norfolk, so her friends and family have been using my house as a base to see him, and his mum will be walking with us in Nottinghamshire.
"I'm walking from QMC to Farnsfield where I live, trying to get as many walkers involved and his mum will be walking with us in Nottinghamshire. Our initial target was to do a collective 500 miles but I think we've go well beyond that."
Becky Dorman, 50, a close friend of Mr Fisher's mum who is organising a walk in Northampton, said: "I've been there since Jack was born, and everyone has been asking what they can do to help him - and there hasn't really been any way to so far.
"We came up with the idea for the walk to let other people to feel like they could help and feel like they were doing something. But also to financially help Jack, who's been in intensive care for just over two months.
"We known how much that costs and how much that takes which one to one nursing. They've been incredible and we just want to help them as well." Money can be donated to the fundraiser here.
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