Dad, 60, Planning His Own Funeral After Doctors Misdiagnosed His Cancer as Acid Reflux

NEED TO KNOW

• Ian Swindell was misdiagnosed with acid reflux multiple times before being diagnosed with incurable blood cancer

• He underwent emergency radiotherapy and chemotherapy but now relies on a walking stick and wheelchair

• Swindell is sharing his story to encourage others to seek second opinions if they feel something is wrong

A man is planning his own funeral after doctors repeatedly misdiagnosed his cancer as acid reflux.

In January 2025, Ian Swindell — a 60-year-old from Newcastle, England — went to the emergency room after experiencing severe pain under his left shoulder blade. After several hours in the waiting room, then undergoing blood tests, an EKG, and X-rays, doctors told him he simply had acid reflux and to take the over-the-counter medication Gaviscon.

Swindell’s pain worsened after going home. And despite returning to the hospital, he had a similar experience.

“The pain was that bad I couldn’t sleep. I was losing weight and not even dieting,” he told Southwest News Service. “The next day it was even worse and I went back to A&E and waited 12 hours again and they said it was acid reflux. I went another two times to A&E in two months.”

Swindell said his condition deteriorated over the following four months, and he “really struggled” during that time. “It was getting worse,” he said. “Come June everyone said I looked really ill.” At that point, he returned to his general practitioner and asked for a referral to another hospital for a second opinion.

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While speaking to a new doctor in July 2025, Swindell was asked to come in for a bone marrow biopsy.

“She told me who she was and was looking at my medical records and I had been through the mill in the last six months,” he said.

After receiving the results of his biopsy, Swindell was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer with recurring tumors that eat away at bone marrow, damaging bones and the immune system.

“I didn’t have time to process it,” he told the outlet. “The doctor said I had blood cancer and it was incurable and said ‘don’t think you’re going to ring the bell and beat it because you won’t.’ “

“I appreciated it that he was honest,” he added.

Shortly after his diagnosis, Swindell required emergency radiotherapy to address a mass on his spine that could lead to paralysis. His body responded well to the treatment but it left him weak and unable to walk. He now relies on a walking stick and wheelchair.

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Swindell later started chemotherapy and has since completed six rounds of treatment. Recognizing that his cancer is incurable, he’s now planning his own funeral and trying to keep his spirits high.

“The hardest part is having to pay for your funeral, so your kids don’t have to worry about it when you’ve gone,” he said. “There has been lots to sort out.”

“I feel good and people say I look absolutely brilliant,” he continued. “You’ve got to look at reality. This is just the short term. I know it’s not a happy ending, I wish I could say it was but it’s not. Until then you’ve just got to enjoy life.”

Swindell admitted that he was initially “angry” that he was repeatedly misdiagnosed, but is now simply sharing his story to make sure no others have the same experience.

“This is what I’m trying to get across to the general public — a lot of people have gone through the same as me and it’s been fatal for them because they’ve not pushed for a second opinion,” he said.

“If I hadn’t pushed for one, I would have been dead,” he added. “Everyone knows your own body, when you know something is not right seek second opinions.”

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