Professor noticed he got drunk very quickly, went to the doctor and was diagnosed with cancer

In October 2023, Simon Bowler, a tennis teacher from the village of Thorley Wood, Hertfordshire, England, began noticing that he felt drunk after consuming just one glass of wine, despite previously being able to drink much more without apparent effects.

This change in his alcohol tolerance was accompanied by blurred vision and a strange feeling in his head, which he described as "mental fuzz."

A few weeks later, Bowler noticed a lump in his neck. Although doctors initially diagnosed it as a benign cyst, he insisted on further testing.

Finally, an ultrasound at OSD Healthcare in Hemel Hempstead revealed a suspicious mass. A biopsy confirmed the presence of melanoma, The Mirror reported.

Fifty percent of melanoma cases can lead to metastasis if not detected early, and it accounts for only 1 percent of skin cancers, although it is responsible for the majority of deaths from this cause, according to the American Cancer Society.

In February 2024, Bowler underwent surgery at Lister Hospital in Stevenage to remove the tumors in his neck. He began immunotherapy and underwent regular scans to monitor his progress.

However, in November of that same year, scans revealed that the cancer had spread to her brain . In December, she received Gamma Knife radiation therapy.

In March 2025, the professor experienced severe complications after receiving a combination of immunotherapeutic drugs (nivolumab and ipilimumab), which caused an acute gastrointestinal reaction and nerve damage in his extremities.

"I felt numb, like I'd been hit by a truck," Bowler told GB News. He now has difficulty walking and has lost strength in his right hand.

Since then, he has temporarily suspended treatment and is working with his medical team to define his next steps. At the same time, he launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover his medical expenses and fund the development of a line of tennis accessories. A portion of the proceeds will go to mental health and cancer charities, according to The Mirror.

Despite the physical after-effects, Bowler has expressed his desire to return to training and mentoring young athletes: “I've lost many parts of my identity, but I haven't lost the will to keep going. I want to show them what resilience is.”

Simon Bowler's case has been reported by media outlets such as GB News, People, and The Mirror, all of which emphasize the uniqueness of the initial symptom and the importance of seeking medical evaluation when something doesn't seem normal.

*This content was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on publicly available information released to media outlets. It was also reviewed by a journalist and an editor.

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