A WOMAN has shared how she was left paralysed from the waist down after doctors said her pain was acid reflex.

Jodie Cox, 26, was left in shock when she was eventually diagnosed with a serious tumour on her spine and lost feeling in both legs within hours.

It all started during lockdown when Jodie felt pain and a twinge in one side of her back.

After rushing to A&E, she was allegedly told by doctors the pain may have been caused by kidney stones and she was told and was sent home with an acid reflux diagnosis.

In January 2021, another excruciating pain forced Jodie to rush to the hospital alongside her boyfriend Luke Watson, 28.

Recalling the ordeal, Luke told BlackCountryLive: “One night she started to lose feeling in her legs so I took her to A&E, she was stumbling into the hospital and I had to support her. She never walked back out of A&E."

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Jodie was then transferred to another hospital where she was given the devastating diagnosis; an aggressive type of osteosarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer.

The 26-year-old lost all feeling in both her legs within 18 hours and was paralysed from the waist down.

The cancer had caused a T10 incomplete spinal cord injury- doctors also found small tumours in her lungs.

Her devoted boyfriend, who has since given up his job to care for her, said: “It all happened very fast. She FaceTimed me and my mum to tell us about the tumour then we didn’t hear from her for the rest of the day as she was rushed to surgery. It was incredibly difficult.

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“When she first got the news from the doctors she went into shock, by the time she told us she was a little bit numb. I was distraught and my mum had a panic attack.”

The couple were looking forward to buying a home together and starting a family.

Jodie was also forced to give up her dream job as a beautician.

She was later transferred to a hospital in Manchester for six rounds of chemotherapy.

Luke added: “Adjusting to life with paralysis has been incredibly difficult for Jodie, there’s more to it than not being able to walk.

"She also suffers from nerve pain which is probably the worse part of it, she’s in absolute agony from the waist down.

"It feels like her legs are on fire and she can’t move. She has to rely on me a lot now, I had to leave my job to take care of her.

“She has physiotherapy which has been helping with her independence, bone density and strength as well as increasing her chance of recovery.

"She can feel temperature and began moving her toes recently but doctors have said it’s unlikely she will ever walk again.”

Friends of the pair have launched a GoFundme page to raise funds for Jodie and her family.

Speaking from the hospital bed Jodie said: “I wouldn’t have been able to get through this without all the support around me, especially from Luke, family and friends.

“That’s what keeps you going the most, when you are down they pick you back up again, the people that you have around you make the biggest difference.

“If anyone is going through a similar thing and want to reach out to have someone to talk to, or ask questions, I want them to be able to reach out to me, it helps you feel like you are not alone.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to normality, not having to live in hospitals and not think about being sick all the time and live how I used to live before.”

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A spokesperson for The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: “Whilst we are unable to comment on individual cases, we always endeavour to provide the highest possible standard of care to those we serve and, for where we may not have lived up to this, we have comprehensive and rigorous processes in place.

“We will always ensure a full and thorough investigation is undertaken on any concerns a patient has about their treatment and, through this, we will seek to address any issues raised.”

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