Dad, 46, who ‘exaggerated man flu symptoms’ left fighting for life with sepsis, pneumonia and killer cancer

WHEN Clint Nield developed a cough, cold and fatigue he shrugged it off as “a bit of man flu”.

But the dad-of-one almost died when his symptoms turned out to be aggressive blood cancer.

Clint Nield but it down to the time of year – cold and flu season – when he fell ill last year[/caption]

He brushed his symptoms off as men “exaggerating things” but then his symptoms got worse[/caption]

Clint, 46, fell poorly in October last year but thought he just had a bought of seasonal flu.

As well as brushing it off as “man flu”, he thought his illness had come about because it was “just that time of year”.

But over the next two weeks Clint’s condition began to deteriorate and he was rushed to an emergency doctor by wife Joanne, 48.

He was then sent to A&E at Burton Hospital in Staffordshire where tests determined that he had deadly acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

Clint, who works at The Entertainer toy store, said: “It started off as a bit of a cough and a cold in October last year and as I work in retail I put it down to the time of the year and bugs going around.

“But over the next couple of days it got worse and I began feeling a bit light-headed. But I still put it down to a bit of man flu.

“You know what men can be like, exaggerating things a bit and trying to stay masculine – and I just brushed it off as that really.

“I thought it’s just a bit of fatigue and fever and put it down to the time of the year as the weather changes.

“I thought I just needed a few days R and R and I’d be back to work but I just got worse to the point where I had no energy at all, I was out of it.”

Clint continued: “It was the worst I had ever felt and I went to my GP who first thought it might be a chest infection so gave me some antibiotics .

“After no improvement they then thought it may be sepsis and my mother-in-law took me to A&E.

“I was seeing double and I don’t really remember much but I remember seeing all these consultants at the end of my bed.

“It was like the grim reaper had visited, they said they had ran tests and I had acute myeloid leukemia.

“Tests showed that my white blood cell count was 300 whereas it should have been around 10.

“I couldn’t believe it, I was terrified.”

‘If I had left it any longer I would not have made it until Christmas’

The fast growing, aggressive blood cancer required urgent treatment and Clint started chemotherapy the very next day at Royal Derby Hospital.

He suffered brutal side effects, including rapid weight loss and constant sickness.

At one point Clint, of Burton-upon-Trent, Staffs., fainted and fractured his ankle, leaving him bed bound for two weeks.

Clint added: “They said that if I had left it any longer I would not have made it until Christmas.

“I had four cycles of chemotherapy and felt dreadful, I was really rough and it was a difficult time.

“At one point I ended up on an ICU, I had pneumonia and sepsis – I basically nearly died.”

Miraculously, Clint completed his final round of chemotherapy in April this year and is now in remission.

I guess my message is just not to ignore symptoms like I did. This can happen to absolutely anyone and it’s scary

Clint Nield

He said: “In May I was discharged in remission and now I’m on oral chemo tablets and will undergo bone marrow biopsies every three months.

“I guess my message is just not to ignore symptoms like I did. This can happen to absolutely anyone and it’s scary.

“Men in particular I think are the worst for it, brushing off symptoms, which is what I did. I had bad fatigue which is one of the signs.

“I nearly died and that puts life into perspective. The earlier these things can be detected, the more they can be treated.”

Clint said his life has been a “yo-yo” since first being diagnosed.

He said: “It has massively impacted my life. I’m unable to walk long distances and my general health has been poor whilst recovering outside the hospital.

“This has been so hard on my family, my wife Joanne and my daughter Cora, but they have been my rock in the darkest of times.”

“I never look too far forward now and treat each day as a blessing for still being here. I cannot plan my future right now, not knowing if AML will come back and I will need further treatment.

“My dream is to become a homeowner this year for the first time, and to get back to work and to full fitness.

“But I’m taking it a day at a time for now.”

Hospital tests revealed Clint had acute myeloid leukaemia[/caption]

He suffered brutal side effects from chemotherapy – at one point he fainted and fractured his ankle, leaving him bed bound for two weeks[/caption]

Clint says the earlier these things can be detected, the more they can be treated[/caption]

Are you aware of the signs and symptoms of leukaemia?

Leukaemia UK said every year almost 3,100 people in the UK are diagnosed with AML, and nearly 80 per cent of those diagnosed will not survive beyond five years.

The charity says the most common symptoms of leukaemia are: extreme tiredness (fatigue), bruising, unusual bleeding and repeated infections.

Fiona Hazell, chief executive of Leukaemia UK, said: “Many people aren’t aware of the signs and symptoms of leukaemia until they or someone they know is diagnosed.

“That’s why we are so grateful to Clint for sharing his story and helping to raise awareness of the cancer.

“Early diagnosis saves lives, so we want to make sure more people are aware of the signs and symptoms and know to contact their GP to ask for a full blood count test if they’re experiencing them.

“Together, we can stop leukaemia devastating so many lives.”

Colin Dyer, chief executive of Leukaemia Care, added: “Clint’s story is a powerful reminder that leukaemia can affect anyone, at any age, and that the signs are often subtle and easy to miss.

“Too many people can spend months searching for answers before receiving a diagnosis.”

Clint is sharing his story as part of Blood Cancer Awareness Month, in support of #SpotLeukaemia, run by charities Leukaemia UK and Leukaemia Care.