Rugby captain who thought he was ‘just tired’ had bowel cancer

A healthy rugby captain has had half his intestine removed after being diagnosed with cancer in his thirties.

Andrew Walker, 31, was told he had bowel cancer after he went to his GP because he started feeling quite tired.

He then had half his intestines and lymph nodes removed and is currently awaiting test results to determine if he needs more treatment.

Around 94% of people diagnosed with bowel cancer are over the age of 50, so Andrew was shocked when he was told he had the disease.

Andrew, who plays for Bradford Dudley Hill RLFC in West Yorks., said: “It’s not common for someone in their thirties to get bowel cancer.

“I actually asked the specialist if I could leave and then come back because I just couldn’t process it.

“I expected to go for a scan, get some samples and go home – I didn’t expect it to turn into a whirlwind.”

Andrew started feeling tired earlier this year, but doctors thought he had anaemia, where your body doesn’t have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to your tissues.

He also broke his rib and punctured his lung playing rugby and fractured his eye socket playing sport – but he thought they were “accidental injuries”.

Doctors then asked the civil engineer to take a stool sample, where they discovered he had blood in his earring and needed further testing.

Andrew then cut his finger and it became infected, which meant he had to spend 11 nights in hospital and have four operations as doctors could not save him.

Although the “accidental injuries” were not related to his colon cancer, he says his body “couldn’t handle any impact” because it was fighting the disease.

Andrew, from Bradford, West Yorks, said: “I just gave up everything to have a busy lifestyle and be tired.

“I also appreciated being a little older.”

“The injuries were not related to the cancer.”

“But my body couldn’t handle any impact, it was fighting cancer so it couldn’t handle anything else.”

Andrew is the captain of Bradford Dudley Hill RLFC and says one of the “toughest conversations” he’s had was telling his team-mates.

He said: “This is one of the hardest conversations I’ve ever had to have.”

“I’m their captain and I was telling them I couldn’t play and they were asking why.”

“I’ve known some of the guys for years and they were all shocked and disturbed by it.”

“It’s affected them a lot, like it affected my family, we’re such a tight-knit team and we’re like a family.”

Andrew, who has two sons with wife Becki, 42, is encouraging people with symptoms to get checked as soon as possible.

He said: “I’d say go and get checked, if you’re not sure, then a blood test takes a minute and that can pick up early signs.”

“It’s not just the impact it will have on you, it’s also the impact on your family and friends.”

“If they catch the cancer early, then it’s curable.”

“Even if I get the all-clear then it’s not the end of it because you have a minimum of five years of tests.”

“It’s good that they’re keeping an eye on you, but I’m letting you go.

“It has a longer impact.”

Bradford Dudley Hill RLFC are holding a charity tournament for him on Friday (September 27) and are looking for raffle prizes.