Townsville Cyclones footballer overcomes incurable disease after doctors ignored his pain

A Townsville footballer visited the hospital after every match for two years with mysterious pains, only to be turned away. For the first time he reveals the monumental health battle he has waged to return to the field.

Townsville Cyclones player Leon Suckling (R). Picture: Shae Beplate.

Leon Suckling went to the hospital after every football match for two years hoping someone would finally investigate the bizarre, painful swelling in his fingers, wrists and knees.

Three years after being diagnosed with incurable rheumatoid arthritis at 35 years old, Suckling is preparing to make his Townsville Cyclones comeback in the opening round against the Cairns Falcons on November 2.

His condition is in remission but his battle against it has come at tremendous cost, at his lowest point leaving Suckling fearing for his ability to provide for his family.

It began in 2019 with his fingers, which would swell around the first knuckle to the degree that a clenched fist would not unravel without physically prying open his hand.

At night, Suckling would sleep on his back with his arms raised on pillows because the weight of his hands was nearly unbearable on his wrists.

Townsville Cyclones players Ryan Worsley and Leon Suckling ahead of the 2024 Regional Queensland American Football season. Worsley is pictured in his Regional Queensland Irukandji representative jersey. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Nerve pain reverberated up through his elbows, his knees would balloon to the size of grapefruits.

Doctors would dispense anti-inflammatories and send him away to reflect on whether his body could still handle the physicality of American football.

When a season away from the game in 2021 failed to trigger improvement Suckling found a doctor willing to investigate and was finally given an answer for his alarming physical deterioration.

“They got the blood tests done and saw the markers were up, so I went to the Mater for MRIs and X-rays on my wrists and knees. They said I had rheumatoid arthritis. I was 35,” Suckling said.

“It’s not like osteoarthritis, which is from the overuse of joints. Rheumatoid is when your immune system attacks soft tissue in your joints.

“Essentially my body was under attack from itself, my body thought my joints weren’t part of my body, so it sent my immune system to attack it.”

The scars from his battle will be permanent.

“I’ve lost 20 per cent of my wrist movement, which I’ll never get back because it’s a disease that has no cure,” Suckling said.

Chiefs fan Leon Suckling gives Eagles fan Jimmi Thompson a serve at an NFL Super Bowl watch party. Picture: Nic Darveniza

“The medication, it’s basically chemotherapy. The medication smashed my hair and my teeth, and knocked my liver around, but I was able to gain my movement back.

“The main worry was, because I’m a locomotive maintainer, I’ve got to do heavy physical labour every day and dexterity in your fingers is so important.

“I was more worried about my job. Being a physical worker I was constantly squatting down, struggling to get up and having to do work when it hurt to turn a wrench.

“To go from wondering what the hell I was going to do to support my family, to having my life back, has been crazy good.”

The father of five said his children had been his motivation to fight against the disease.

Though his son was too young to understand, Suckling’s four daughters, aged between 14 and 11, watched on helplessly as their larger-than-life father wasted away.

“My youngest was a bit oblivious but the four girls, they were pretty upset,” he said.

“I’d go for a run and then be crippled for two weeks.

“I was limping around, using a walking stick. I was jaundiced from the liver, I was getting steroid injections between every knuckle and my wrist. I had fluid extracted from my knees.

“Some days I’d just ring up my boss and say I can’t get out of bed today.

Leon Suckling of the Cyclones in 2020

“Even when I was on the mend I couldn’t hang on to a weight in the gym, just holding it was so hard. To get my strength back I had to get these metal hooks with grips to get past my grip strength and actually use my muscles.

“Eight months ago my doctor said it was safe to say I was in remission, so I’ve been coming in and everything has been sweet.

“My kids all get around me. When I was on the sidelines because I couldn’t participate in sport I was coaching them, really just trying to live through them. That’s how I coped.”

Suckling was a premiership winner on the Cyclones defensive line but is making the switch to the offensive line for his comeback season.

It is a significant transition to protecting a quarterback, not taking down an opposition’s, but at 38 years old Suckling is ready to make up for lost time.

“It feels great to be back. I can’t wait to play other teams and show what I can do,” he said. “I’ve fought the disease for three years, but the doctor did say I’ve had it for a lot longer, it was just that every time I got it checked out they assumed it was from playing.

“I’m glad the doctor went the next step and not just give me anti-inflammatories to get me out the door. It changed my life.

“If it had gone unchecked the erosion in your joints disfigures your hands and they start curling up into claws, then you get muscular dystrophy and your arms curl up. It gets into your hips, your organs – it can kill you, untreated.

“Now I just want to see the season out uninjured, hang out with the boys again and get that camaraderie back. Catch up on some lost time.” 

Originally published as Townsville Cyclones footballer overcomes incurable disease after doctors ignored his pain