Common ‘exercise injury’ was the only sign of super-fit 39 year-old’s bowel cancer…now it’s spread and he has to have a buttock removed
A keen runner has told how doctors missed the only sign of his bowel cancer, mistaking it for an exercise injury as it wasn’t included in the list of ‘typical’ symptoms.
Andy Spary, 39, from Tunbridge Wells, began to struggle with pain in his left buttock in March last year, describing the sensation as a ‘severe burning’.
But doctors who examined the carpenter at his local A&E said it was likely his pain was the result of a recent rollerskating injury.
However, a subsequent MRI scan and biopsy revealed a tumour in his bowel, which had spread to nearby lymph nodes.
Doctors delivered the devastating diagnosis of stage three bowel cancer.
Medics suspect the development of the deadly disease was linked to his existing Crohn’s disease, which features chronic inflammation and swelling in the digestive tract and can lead to cancer-causing abnormal cell growth.
‘The tumour has branched off of my bowel to my buttocks area and is spreading,’ said Mr Spary, who is married to Amy, 35.
‘We’re focusing on the positives, which helps, taking it that it’s treatable and I can beat it.’
The only sign of the 29 year-old’s cancer was an unusual pain in his left buttock.
In July last year, he underwent a procedure to prepare his body for chemotherapy, which involved fitting a stoma—where a part of the large bowel is brought through an opening in the stomach and attached to a bag to collect waste.
Two months later he began chemotherapy and radiotherapy to shrink the disease, but doctors didn’t see the results they’d hoped for
Mr Spary had a second operation on May 21 which will hopefully leave him cancer-free with his stoma still in place.
‘In an ideal world, if the treatment completely destroyed the tumour then the stoma could be reversed,’ he said.
‘But realistically I think this is rare. The plan was always to have surgery and end up with a stoma bag for life.’
The surgery involved doctors removing the remaining section of his bowel, including what was left of his tumour, as well as a section of his buttocks.
A plastic surgeon then carried out laparoscopic surgery to repair his pelvic floor and reconstruct his bottom using tissue from the area.
‘One surgeon removes the tumour and then the plastic surgeon patches everything up. New bum, new me, all good,’ he said.
Surgery involved the removal of some of his buttock tissue as well as the fitting of a stoma bag
Another advantage of the operation is that it is likely to relieve him of his Crohn’s symptoms because the affected area will mostly be removed.
He said doctors are confident the surgery was a success but he will have to wait at least one month for a scan to confirm whether he is cancer-free.
‘Keeping fit and healthy has been my best weapon,’ said Mr Spary.
He is now planning to run the 2026 London Marathon on behalf of cancer charity Trekstok for which he has so far raised more than £3,350 on GoFundMe.
‘If I could make £10,000, that would be unbelievable,’ he said.
Mr Spary is currently recovering from surgery in hospital and hopes to be discharged by the end of May.
He will have to relearn to walk with the help of physiotherapy before restarting his marathon training by the end of the year.
So far, he has managed to sit up and take his first steps.
Mr Spary is planning to run the marathon next year, despite his illness. Pictured here with his wife Amy, 35.
‘Having the goal of running my first marathon next year – stoma bag and all – is my motivation to stay positive and keep going,’ he said.
‘After this process, I’ll be back on my feet, stronger and fitter with no more Crohn’s and no more cancer, sorted.’
Mr Spary’s story comes amid a startling rise in bowel cancer among young people in Britain.
Between the early 1990s and 2018, the number of adults aged 25 to 49 being diagnosed with bowel cancer has risen 22 per cent in the UK— a rise that’s among the fastest of all high income countries.
Experts are not yet entirely sure what’s causing this increase, but some have suggested it may be due to a combination of changing diets and exposure to environmental factors like pollution.
