A NEWPORT father was nearly paralysed after his incurable blood cancer was missed for months.

He has now joined the race to find the 851 people living with undiagnosed myeloma in the UK.

Jamie Hart was diagnosed with myeloma in 2016, after months of experiencing severe neck and back pain.

The father-of-one was just 49.

By the time his incurable blood cancer was caught, he had a collapsed vertebra in his lower neck and was on the verge of being paralysed.

He has now teamed up with charity Myeloma UK to #FINDTHE851 patients currently living with undiagnosed myeloma in the UK.

As part of the campaign, he is urging the public to learn the tell-tale symptoms, rule themselves out and spread the word about myeloma.

“I felt like my head was going to fall off,” Mr Hart said.

“I went to the GP and I demanded a scan because I knew something was wrong.

“When I finally had an MRI the radiographer said, ‘You need to remain still’.

"She could see that the vertebrae had collapsed and was compressing my spinal cord."

Mr Hart was forced to retire from his job as a Leisure Operations Officer following his diagnosis.

“I’d been working for two or three months with a broken neck," he said.

"I was admitted there and then and was placed in a spinal collar to avoid paralysis.” 

Around 5,900 people are diagnosed with myeloma in the UK each year.

However, during the pandemic, myeloma saw a drop in diagnoses, with confirmed cases down by 851 compared to pre-COVID expectations.

Despite being the third most common type of blood cancer, myeloma is already frequently missed. 

1 in 4 people wait more than 10 months for a diagnosis. These are some of the longest delays out of any cancer in the UK. 

Yet, a simple blood test can, in most cases, pick up signs of myeloma. 

While it is incurable, myeloma is treatable in the majority of cases.

Treatment is aimed at controlling the disease, relieving the complications and symptoms it causes, and extending and improving patients’ quality of life.

Now 55, Mr Hart underwent surgery to have his collapsed C6 vertebra removed and a cage inserted in his neck. He also received 25 rounds of radiotherapy.

He had a stem cell transplant in June 2019.

Unfortunately, he realised his cancer had come back after “a freak accident” while on holiday in Sardinia in June 2022.

“I stood up and moved to cross to the other side of a bus and my arm gave way," he said.

"An X-ray at a local hospital showed that my upper arm had broken in three places, due to a weakness from the myeloma.

"In a way breaking my arm was a godsend as that’s how I discovered that the myeloma had returned. I’ve been back on chemotherapy treatment ever since.” 

Despite this, Mr Hart is determined to live as full a life as possible.

“My family and I are very positive,” he said.

“My family are aware that one day I’m not going to be here, but one day we’re all not going to be here – until a cure is found.

“At the end of the day, I can’t change anything that’s wrong with me. You’ve got to live with it. A positive mentality helps.”