14 January 2025
‘He had been playing rugby on the Sunday, and by the Wednesday, we were told he had cancer.’
Detective Sergeant Nicky Simms’ son, Ollie, was just 14 when he was diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma, a fast-growing, aggressive cancer.
Two years later, she is in the process of creating a support network for West Midlands Police officers and staff who have experienced a child close to them being diagnosed with cancer.
“The diagnosis was completely out of the blue,” Nicky recalled, adding: “Ollie had played rugby on the Sunday and told us his back was hurting. By Thursday, we were in urgent care, getting an x-ray.”
The day Ollie 'rang the bell' in hospital and the second is the day he
was discharged from his consultant.
The x-ray showed that Ollie’s right lung had collapsed, and doctors had found a ‘mass’ that turned out to be cancer.
“We were told that this is such a rapid form of cancer the cells would have doubled in just 24 hours. From his chest to pelvis, Ollie’s body was riddled with tumours,” continued Nicky, 44.
“I don’t know how long he had had it for, but I know we were fortunate that we didn’t leave it any longer.”
The following day Ollie had surgery to insert a chest drain to drain 6kg of fluid from his lungs and to have his central line fitted ready for chemotherapy.
“It’s only when I look back I think about how difficult that time was,” Nicky said.
“But it was Ollie who was our inspiration - we drew our strength from him. My husband - who is also in the Force - and I had to tell him that he had cancer. We were both devastated, and he looked at us and said ‘don’t cry, mum and dad. I’ve got a bit of cancer, I’ll have a bit of chemo and then I’ll be back playing rugby again’.
“We definitely drew our strength from him.”
Mother-of-two Nicky said ‘it was really hard, especially at the beginning’.
Nicky (far left) and Ollie (far right) with their family in Rome last year.
The day after Ollie’s central line was fitted, his dad - and Nicky’s husband - Gavin, tested positive for Covid, which meant he could not visit the hospital for 10 days.
“It was a very difficult time. Gavin couldn’t visit due to having Covid, which meant I stayed with Ollie - but that meant not being at home with our daughter, Maisy.
“Between us, we pretty much lived in hospital for five months.”
Nicky heaped praise on the Force and her manager, saying she ‘could not fault them at all’: “The support I received was fantastic.
“Everyone around us was amazing.”
Ollie’s rugby club and school, together, raised £28,000 - but instead of Ollie taking the money for himself, he decided to split it between three charities: The Teenage Cancer Trust, Rugby Against Cancer and the Children’s Hospital Charity.
Ollie was treated for five months before he ‘rang the bell’ to mark the end of his cancer treatment on 18 August 2022.
“It has been a struggle for Ollie at times,” said Nicky, adding: “All he ever wanted to know is if he could play rugby again - and would you believe it, in the November of that year, he played his first match after being diagnosed.”
Ollie, now 17 is currently working towards his A-Levels and is part of a National Rugby Programme.
“Of course, Ollie faced certain restrictions and challenges in life, but he is now officially cancer-free,” said Nicky, who is now in the process of creating a support network for others who have shared a similar experience to her at West Midlands Police.
She added: “I feel very passionately about creating a safe space for people so they feel comfortable opening up. It’s a space to feel angry, sad, frustrated - however you want to feel, without feeling guilty about it.
“And it’s not just emotional support we can provide for one another, but the practical bits too. For example, I didn’t realise that the Federation’s Group Life Insurance covers children. Or I didn’t know what pillow to buy to ensure Ollie was most comfortable, or how I could claim disability allowance, or how I could apply for a blue badge. All of these little things actually turn out to be really big, helpful, useful things.”
The network is inspired by the Force’s ‘Cancer Club’, a network launched for those who have experienced or are living with cancer.
The group will be specifically for police officers and staff who have experienced a child close to them being diagnosed or living with cancer.
The first support meeting is due to take place on Monday 27 January. For more information on the meeting or to request the Teams link please email: cancerclub@westmidlands.police.uk
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