A father-of-three who served 24 years in the RAF before being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer has told men they should not be ashamed to have their prostate checked as “a finger up the bum” could save them. life.
RAF Sergeant Ian Trushell, 49, from Northumberland, thought his unusually low energy levels were simply related to the “stress” of starting a new job at RAF Boulmer, when in reality he only had years left. of life.
But Ian, who has always been “fit as a fiddle” and never smoked or drank much alcohol, knew it was more serious when he went to the bathroom one morning with a stomachache and coughed up a lot of “deep, dark blood.”
He was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer on August 31, 2022 and was later told surgery was not an option because the disease had already spread to many parts of his liver.
Ian and his wife Sarah Trushell, 38, said telling their three children, Henry, 14, George, 15, and Eloise, 17, was the hardest part as they didn't know if he would survive until Christmas. of 2022.
Sixteen rounds of chemotherapy later, Ian found a specialist cancer treatment in Germany not available to him on the NHS that could help prolong his life beyond his initial two-year prognosis.
It costs around £50,000 and the family have launched a fundraiser on JustGiving to help them foot the bill.
Ian hopes his experience is a lesson to others who feel embarrassed about going to the doctor and risk going too late.
Ian has always been fit and never smoked or drank much alcohol (Collect/PA Real Life)
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“I've been in the RAF for 24 years and I'm a racer who never smoked, didn't drink and I've always been healthy,” Ian told PA Real Life.
“So I want people to see this and think, well, if it could happen to him, it could happen to anyone.
“Even if you are in very good shape, if you have any concerns, your energy levels are low or you are passing blood, then go to the doctor.
“They'll check for hemorrhoids, which is a pain in the butt, and I know some people are embarrassed by that.
“But I want people to get past that and look at the bigger picture: You can catch cancer early.
“So don't be silly, because it could literally save your life.”
Ian “always had stomach problems” and thought he might suffer from irritable bowel syndrome or dairy intolerance.
But during a four-month deployment to Oman in late 2021, he began to feel unusually exhausted after his daily run.
“It was a pretty stressful deployment because at the time everyone was pulling out of Afghanistan,” he said.
“I felt good, but 5K races that I normally have no problem with felt like half marathons.
“I just attributed it to stress, heat and aging, so I didn't think about it.”
Ian hopes his experience serves as a valuable lesson to others who feel embarrassed about going to see a doctor (Collect/PA Real Life)
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The fatigue continued after Ian returned to the UK in July 2022 and started a new position as an information communications technician at Royal Air Force Boulmer, near Alnwick in Northumberland.
Ian walked or cycled along the beach to work, a journey of about eight miles, but when he arrived he felt “absolutely devastated” and “exhausted”.
Then, about three months into the new job, alarm bells rang when Ian went to the bathroom with a stomach ache and coughed up a lot of “deep, dark blood.”
“I realized it wasn't good because it was very dark blood and there was a lot of it,” he said.
He went straight to the base medical unit, where a family doctor examined him for piles, which are lumps in and around the anus, but to his surprise there were none.
“He said don't worry about it yet, it's most likely internal hemorrhoids,” Ian said.
“He obviously has a digit up his butt and couldn't find anything.”
Ian was referred for a colonoscopy, a medical procedure that uses a long, thin, flexible tube with a small camera to check for any problems in the intestines.
“It's not pleasant, but it has to be done,” Ian said.
“The doctor later said that he would rather be wrong, but that, in his opinion, he had seen what could only be described as a cancerous tumor.”
Ian hoped the growth could simply be removed, but a CT scan and MRI confirmed the cancer had already spread to the liver.
“I wasn't a candidate for surgery because the metastasis to my liver was similar to a shotgun blast, where it was spread everywhere,” he said.
Ian was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer on August 31, 2022 and was told that surgery would not be an option.
“It was a surreal moment because the surgeon's tone of voice was very negative,” he said.
“When we left the appointment I didn't know if I would still be alive for Christmas.” [2022].
“They just let you go and you say, cheers, maybe we'll see you later, maybe not.”
Ian's wife Sarah said this was a particularly difficult time because they had no “plan of attack” and she didn't sleep for two weeks.
“I just felt like he was given a death sentence because never mind Christmas, I thought, are you going to survive the week?” said Sara.
Ian met a cancer specialist, known as an oncologist, a few weeks later and received eight rounds of chemotherapy.
He was also told that the average prognosis for someone with his condition is two years.
The “hardest” part was breaking the news to his three teenage children, Henry, George and Eloise.
Ian was told the average prognosis for someone with his condition is two years.
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Ian said: “How can you sugarcoat something like that for children? You can not.
“In the end I couldn't tell him, I couldn't face it.
“I took the dogs for a walk while Sarah told them.
“Rightly or wrongly, we waited until we had that chemo plan to tell him because otherwise I would have completely broken down,” Sarah added.
“They were obviously upset, but they took it incredibly well and I think it was because I was able to say okay, and here's the plan, this is what's going to happen.”
The couple contacted another oncologist for a second opinion and joined several support groups, including the Bowel Cancer UK Forum and Colontown, which Sarah says have been a huge help.
They discovered several specialized cancer treatments and, in particular, one called TACE, which blocks the blood supply to the tumor and delivers a high dose of chemotherapy directly to the liver.
Unfortunately, these are not available to Ian on the NHS and he will have to go private, costing him thousands of pounds.
To help cover the cost, the family have launched a £50,000 fundraiser on JustGiving, from which they have already received £20,458.
To support Ian, visit: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Sgt-Ian-Trushell.
“It's just about staying alive as long as possible,” said Ian, who has had 16 rounds of chemotherapy in total so far.
“Situations like this really show how generous people are.
“This really motivates you, it's like now I'm fighting for them too.”
Pascale Harvie, president and CEO of JustGiving, said: “I was very sorry to hear Ian's story but, like so many others, I am inspired by his strength and dedication not only to defeating this devastating disease but also in his efforts to raise awareness. vital about control.
“So far, hundreds of generous people from all communities have supported Ian and we can't wait to see him reach his crowdfunding target, so he can receive the treatment he needs.”
