KEITH Hawkes was once a fitness fanatic who loved charging round the football pitch and racing on his bike.
But now, he spends his days trapped inside in constant agony thanks to a debilitating condition affecting his spine.
It has left him feeling like a prisoner in his own home and fearing he’ll eventually end up in a wheelchair permanently, or even dead.
The 51-year-old, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, said: “I can feel my life slipping away.
“I can only walk for around five minutes before the pain and exhaustion overwhelms me.
“I just want a chance to be a proper dad and a husband again. I want my life back.”
Keith’s symptoms began out of the blue in 1996, with pain in his back and legs.
Until that point, he had been “really fit” and lived a very active lifestyle.
The father-of-two, to Evie, 16, and 14-year-old Charlie, said: “I was a racing cyclist and I loved running and football.
“I worked outdoors as a countryside ranger for the National Trust.
“I was very active. But the pain got worse and worse.”
His condition worsened, and it soon became “unbearable”.
“When I sat down, it was like sitting on a red-hot poker,” he added.
Keith went back and forth to his GP, who he feels did not take him seriously.
He then had several years of physiotherapy, which he claims did not help.
“I lost all my fitness, my muscles wasted away very quickly,” he said.
“I lost almost 10kgs (1.6st) in weight and couldn’t put it back on.
“I wasn’t sleeping, I had no appetite.
“I knew there was something seriously wrong but I just couldn’t get anyone to listen.”
I knew there was something seriously wrong but I just couldn’t get anyone to listen.
Keith Hawke
In desperation, Keith paid privately for a scan in 2016 which showed four cysts clumped together at the bottom of his spine.
The largest measured 1in (22mm), but his NHS doctor did not believe they were the cause of the pain.
Four years later, he developed a spinal curve and was referred for more tests.
But while waiting to be treated, he began his own research and discovered he had all the symptoms of Tarlov Cyst Disease, which affects five per cent of the UK population.
Usually, the cysts are harmless. But in very rare cases, they can have catastrophic consequences.
The cysts contain spinal fluid and form at the root of nerves in the lower back.
Left untreated, they can cause damage to the bone and nervous system, leading to migraines, chronic fatigue, memory issues, and chronic bowel and bladder problems.
Keith says his spine is being eroded by the cysts, which are unusually large.
If the spinal fluid leaks out, it could be fatal.
“The pressure the cysts exert on my spinal fluid causes severe migraines, chronic fatigue, and memory issues,” he said.
“I can’t sit or stand for more than five minutes at a time and even a short walk leaves me exhausted.
“It has also caused chronic bowel and bladder problems.”
After getting nowhere in the UK, Keith arranged a consultation with an expert in the US, who explained it was like “marshmallows blocking his spinal canal”.
Dr Frank Feigenbaum, a neurosurgeon from Dallas, Texas, has performed thousands of surgeries worldwide and has offered Keith a slot in Cyprus in autumn.
The only problem is, it costs £50,000 and is not available on the NHS – and Keith simply can’t afford it.
He is now desperately trying to raise money for the life-saving operation before it’s too late.
“It’s my only chance,” he said. “Not enough is known about these cysts in the UK.
“I am a private person and would never normally dream of asking people for help, but I just don’t know what else to do.
“I will be in a wheelchair soon if I don’t do something. My condition will become permanent and the damage irreversible.
“I can’t go on holiday with my kids. I can’t watch them play football.
“My wife works and she has to do everything around the house too.
“I had to give up work due to my illness, so there is no way I can afford this operation.
“I would be so grateful for any money anyone can spare.”
