Cancer-stricken man, 31, says he could have avoided terminal diagnosis – if he hadn’t tried to ‘man up’ and ignore tell-tale symptom

A 31-year-old man diagnosed with terminal cancer says he could have been saved — if he hadn’t tried to ‘man up’ and ignore the symptoms.

Liam Griffiths, from Middlesbrough, began suffering with stomach swelling, chronic constipation, cramps and vomiting in March.

But the ex-oil rig worker, who described himself as the ‘healthiest man in the world’ and trained every day, decided to avoid making a fuss and power on as he was self-employed and needed the money.

Mr Griffiths’ symptoms eventually became unmanageable, and he went to hospital, where he was diagnosed with Crohn’s and later peritoneal cancer.

He went under the knife but was told by doctors his surgery was unsuccessful and that his cancer was terminal.

Now he is coming to terms with his stage four peritoneal cancer, a rare type which affects the thin layer of tissue lining the inside of the abdomen.

There are no exact numbers for how many people get it in the UK.

But Cancer Research UK says it mainly affects women and people are over the age of 60. 

Initial symptoms include a swollen tummy, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhoea, being sick, bloating and a loss of appetite.   

Discussing his battle with the disease, Mr Griffiths said: ‘Not getting checked sooner is the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.

‘They found my cancer at stage three advanced — but if I had just gone to see the doctor earlier maybe they could have caught it.

‘I was self-employed, and I needed the money, so I just kept powering through.

‘I did what I thought a man needed to do. I was manning up.’

When he finally went to hospital with his symptoms he was told he likely had Crohn’s, an inflammatory bowel disease.

But the next month he received a call from the doctors who asked him to come to the hospital straight away.

It was then doctors told him he had peritoneal cancer and would need chemo.

‘As soon as they said for me to bring my mum, Susan, I knew’, Mr Griffiths said. 

‘I don’t even remember the hospital trip — I’ve just blocked the trauma out.

‘I remember I asked what my lifespan would look like and my doctor said he doesn’t want to give me a timeframe of when my life could end, because he doesn’t want me to focus my whole life around it.’

But Mr Griffiths admits to feeling ‘fragile’ and a ‘shadow’ of who he once was. 

‘I was the healthiest man in the world. I trained every single day, but now I can’t even walk up the stairs without breaking a sweat,’ he said. 

‘I am literally living the worst type of life I could have ever imagined. It’s horrible.

‘Mentally it’s taken it out of me. Physically it’s taken it out of me.’

Although he had many adventures planned on his bucket list, including swimming with sharks, going skiing and doing Tough Mudder, due to his rapidly declining health he has had to change his plans. 

‘I have to choose things that let me sit down, as I won’t physically be able to do things I originally wanted to. I think my mum wants to plan a train trip,’ he said.

‘I just want to make sure we have those key memories together before I maybe have to go.’ 

The chemotherapy treatment available on the NHS is no longer working for Mr Griffiths and he is now paying for private treatment, scans and medicine in a bid to prolong his life.

His friend, Eve Bannatyne, daughter of Dragon’s Den star, Duncan Bannatyne, has helped to raise over £18,000 for Mr Griffiths on JustGiving which was set up two months ago.

On his JustGiving page, she said: ‘He is bravely battling terminal cancer at just the age of 31 and we urgently need support to access medicine to ease his pain and hopefully prolong his life.

‘Liam has shown incredible strength and resilience throughout this challenging journey and has the biggest heart. He doesn’t deserve to go through any of this.

‘Every donation, no matter how small, can make a world of difference.’

Mr Griffiths wants his terminal cancer diagnosis to be used as a lesson for other men to stop ignoring their symptoms and to get checked.