Spinal tumour and me: my journey to recovery through sport

By David Smith

I have competed all over the world as an athlete in Karate, Bobsleigh and Rowing and have coached with three national teams - Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, and I started with the GB Ski cross team in 2010 as fitness coach. However, for 10 years, I lived with pain and discomfort, which I thought was just part of being an athlete. It was by chance that a routine scan showed a tumour in my cervical spine.

August 2011: See David's story on the BBC website

My body was not recovering

Strange things were happening to my body, causing me worry and much discomfort. There were nights where I could not sleep and was up walking around at 3am as I was in so much pain. This had been an ongoing thing for the past 10 years and I just lived with it and pushed through, but it was getting worse now.

Over the next few months things were getting strange and I was losing so much power in the gym, and my body was just not recovering. We looked at every area of training and recovery and it was all OK. There was no clear answer to why I was having so many problems.

I had some sleep data taking from the physiologist and it explained a lot about why I was fatigued as I was not getting any sleep and there was lots of neural activity happening during the night. So we knew my body was not recovering but did not know why this was happening.

The scan that changed my life

In May 2010 I underwent a routine MRI scan on my neck for an injury which would ultimately change my life and provide many answers to all my trouble with over-training and fatigue. The scan showed a vascular tumour which was about the size of a tennis ball growing in my cervical spine. It was growing inside my spinal cord and there was hardly any room left. A very rare condition affecting one in five million people and if not removed would result in full paralysis of my body.

Dark times ahead

Over the coming weeks I started to lose feeling in my hands and all my power in my upper body. This period was of mixed emotions and frustrations. The future now was not so simple and I knew there was going to be some very dark times ahead. The day I was told this was like no other day and I was in shock and it never really sank in.

I met with the surgeon that would be doing the surgery. It was a nice meeting as he is a close friend of my doctor and someone I trust and have known for many years. However it didn't make the news any easier and the drive home that afternoon was a very upsetting one, where I cried most of the way. The impact of being told about the tumour and the risks was just so much to absorb.

That day I walked into hospital after doing one of my best scores on the indoor bike for 60 minutes and it had felt easy. The feeling of going from a top performance to absorbing life changing information in a few hours is a feeling I dont think I will ever be able to put into words.

Strong words of support

Over the next week things moved so fast with more scans and tests, my brain never stopped working overtime and I was very worried. Thankfully I have such a great group of family, friends and doggies that it made me feel like I had so many people around me to help. This feeling will stay with me for life, and all my close friends who shared the news with me and gave me strong words of support really made a difference.

I had lived with this tumor in my neck for over 10 years and it had fed off my body for all this time and I never knew it was there. My sporting life had been held back probably so much by it over the years. I lived with the symptoms and thought it was just part of been an athlete.

Removing the tumour

I underwent surgery on the 12th of May which involved removing the tumour from my neck; this came with risks. Any operation through the neck is not going to be easy, so I just relaxed and focused on positive thoughts. Before the surgery I was waiting in my room with my physio, chatting, and I said, "God, I hope they don`t go through the front of my neck." The surgeon then came in and said, "OK I am going to go through the front of your neck!" My heart hit 200bpm and I felt like I was standing at the top of a Bobsleigh track behind Crump!

My physio came with me into the operation which was, I am sure, an eye opener for him, but for me it gave me a sense of calm. Laying on the bed knowing he was there made me relax. The operation was over 4 hours long and the tumour was successfully removed; however due to the fact the tumour had been growing for over 10 years and was crushing my nerves it was not going to come out easily and my left arm's function did not return after the surgery. The surgery has left me with 8 screws, 2 cages and some metal plate in the front of my neck! Setting off airport scanners might be the future...

After the surgery

The days after the surgery were tough on me and I started to see how much it was affecting my family who were in the hospital. Dad, Mum, and Sister were wiped and I couldn`t understand what it must have been like for them to watch this. It must have been very hard for them. There were some very dark moments, especially at night when I was on my own, thinking of all the worst case scenarios and what might be in front. But the support kept coming through from friends and it kept me strong and positive, in fact I felt great. The tumour was out and I felt like I had a new life and was so focused and pumped to get into rehab and fit again and go out and grab life with both hands.

Total paralysis of my left arm

On day 9 after the surgery I got to go home. At that point I was feeling happy and really positive. But time had passed slowly with no real improvement in the left arm, and when I returned home things started to get very strange and a bit scary. I couldn't really focus on anything or even have a chat. I felt so strange and was losing the ability to function at all - I couldn't even pet the dogs.

On the 22nd of May I lost the ability to walk and had total paralysis of the left arm. It was the scariest day of my life and one that will stay with me forever. I called the hospital and they told me to come right in.

I was put in a wheelchair and taken for another MRI scan, which showed that a blood clot had formed at the base of my neck and there was a build-up of fluid on the spine. This would mean more surgery on my neck to remove the clot, which was crushing the nerve supply and causing the paralysis of my leg and arm. At that point I didn't know how serious a blood clot can be, and that was probably a good thing!

Back to hospital for more surgery

That weekend in hospital was horrific. The thoughts going through my mind that I might not walk again were so scary. I lost control of my mental strength and was just so worried, my body just started to shut down. I had no real feeling from my waist down and had no idea how to really deal with it all than to just lay there and hope all was going to be OK.

I felt so sorry for my family watching this happen to me. This was the first time I really didn't feel in control during the whole period and that is a scary mindset to be in. Over the weekend it sank in how dangerous a blood clot can be and that worried me lots.

So on the 24th of May I was taken in for my second operation on my neck within 12 days. I was nervous all morning waiting, and my mind was playing tricks with me and I could not walk or really function. The surgeon was going back in through the front of my neck and taking out all his good work to get to the clot then putting me back together again, what a top guy! Truly amazing stuff!

Channelling my energy into getting better

The second surgery totally wiped me mentally and physically and when I came round I had nothing in my legs or left arm. That night in the Intensive Care Unit (ITU) I was completely out of it and I can't remember much of what was going on. The ITU staff were amazing and I could not have been in better hands.

For the first couple of days I was so upset and down. I found myself thinking of the worst that could happen and thinking "What if I can`t do anything again?" At that point I stopped and had to tell myself this was not going to stop me chasing my sporting or life dreams. I decided to stay positive and channel all my energy into getting better.

This experience of how fragile the human body can be and what we take for granted on a daily basis has changed my life forever. It has made me realise how important the small things are in life that make the big differences to the people around you, and that I want to experience and share all life has to give.

Now the new journey really begins as I start learning to walk again, trying to get my left arm working and rebuild my body so I can go out and live life. I will be competing in the 2012 Olympics and have built a blog to track my sporting journey.

I am also raising money to support the Brain and Spine Foundation - you can sponsor me here.

Also see BBC article: Scot overcomes paralysis to row again for England

Further information

If you have any questions about spinal tumours or any other neurological topic, call the Brain and Spine Helpline on 0808 808 1000 or email helpline@brainandspine.org.uk.

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