A runner and former rollerblader was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer after experiencing extreme pain in his left buttock last year.

Despite the diagnosis, carpenter Andy Spary, 39, and his wife Amy, 35, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, are focusing on the positive that his cancer is treatable.

Andy is even aiming to run the London Marathon after re-learning to walk to raise money for the charity Trekstok, which supports young people with cancer.

“The diagnosis was a shock and it took a few weeks to really sink in,” he said.

“I had a feeling something was not right, but you’re never really prepared for news like that.”

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Andy’s symptoms began in March 2024 when he went to A&E at Tunbridge Wells Hospital with severe burning pain like an abscess in his left buttock, which was initially put down to a skating injury.

An MRI scan followed by a biopsy revealed a tumour in the tract off his colon, and doctors diagnosed him with stage three bowel cancer on June 14.

This was linked to his existing Crohn’s disease, which causes chronic inflammation and swelling in the digestive tract and can lead to abnormal cell growth.

“They class it as colon cancer but the tumour has branched off of my colon in my buttocks area and is spreading,” Andy said.

“We’re focusing on the positives, which helps, taking it that it’s treatable and I can beat it.”

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On July 8, Andy had a stoma put in place to put the cancerous area of his body out of action and prepare him for chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which he began two months later.

But the tumour did not shrink as much as doctors had hoped, so Andy 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 and if they could’ve shrunk the tumour down as much as possible, it meant they wouldn’t have to take out as big of a chunk of my bum.

“The plan was always to have surgery and end up with a stoma bag for life.”

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On May 21, doctors removed the remaining section of Andy’s colon, including what was left of his tumour. A plastic surgeon then carried out laparoscopic elape 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,” Andy said.

Another advantage to the operation is that it is likely to relieve him of his Crohn’s symptoms because the affected area will mostly be removed.

Andy’s passion for rollerblading has landed him in hospital many times and he said is “no stranger to surgery”.

He said running has also helped him to stay strong both physically and mentally.

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Before his second operation, he would go on runs in between fortnightly chemotherapy sessions when he felt strong enough.

This sparked his goal to run the 2026 London Marathon on behalf of Trekstok, for which he has so far raised more than £3,350 on GoFundMe.

“During my process battling this, I feel I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have had my wife and my parents to support me,” Andy said.

“But a lot of people might not have that support and Trekstok helps young people who feel they have their whole life planned out for them and then something like this happens without a support system around them.

“I’ve been blown away by the GoFundMe support, making £2,500 in under a week and it’s still going.

“If I could make £10,000, that would be unbelievable.”

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Andy 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.

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,” Andy said.

“Having the goal of running my first marathon next year – stoma bag and all – is my motivation to stay positive and keep going.

“After this process, I’ll be back on my feet, stronger and fitter with no more Crohn’s and no more cancer, sorted.”

Andy’s fundraising page can be found on GoFundMe.

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