No cure for man told he was ‘too young for cancer’

A 26-YEAR-OLD man has been told he has terminal cancer after doctors ignored his symptoms because he was “too young”.

Jack Lawson suffered with back pain, weight loss and had blood in his stools for more than six months.

But due to his age doctors did not recognise the symptoms of bowel cancer which affects mostly older people.

He was finally sent for a biopsy four weeks ago which delivered the devastating prognosis that he cannot be cured.

Mr Lawson, from Hull, is now undergoing a stringent course of chemotherapy in order to prolong his life.

Blood

He said: “When I first got ill I was told that there was nothing to worry about. I was given cream to use as the doctors thought I had piles when I told them I had blood in my stools.

“Before I was passing blood I had lost a lot of weight but I thought it was just as a result of food poisoning – even though I didn’t put the weight back on or have much of an appetite.

“I also had a lot of back pain which I visited a chiropractor for. That helped a bit, but what I didn’t realise was that I had all the symptoms of bowel cancer. It was only after six months of being ill that I had a biopsy, and the doctors told me that I had non-curable bowel cancer.”

The news was an even bigger shock because Mr Lawson has no history of cancer in his family and was previously fit and well.

His bowel cancer – for which over-55s are routinely tested – can be treated with chemotherapy and surgery once the tumour has been shrunk.

But it has already spread to his liver and lungs.

Mr Lawson is now going to hospital every two weeks for four days of chemo, and has a permanent line in him from his arm to his chest, which has to be cleaned weekly.

He said: “It has not really hit me yet, but it was so unexpected to find out that I have cancer – it was something that wasn’t suspected at my age as it normally only affects the over-55s.

“My family are pretty emotional about it all, but I’m just making jokes and cracking on with things.

“I’m having to live with it at the moment and go through the chemo, which is quite intense.”

But he said he still has hope for the future.

Mr Lawson said: “I’ll have to live with it and get treated, and hopefully in the future there will be a cure.”