Papillon
Tackling cancer directly
Annual Patient Support Meeting 30th October 2024
[click here for info]
Richard’s Story
My name is Richard (I’m the one on the left of the picture) and on the 2nd March 2012 at 2.30pm at the age of 38 years old I was diagnosed with bowel cancer.
This discovery came about after 12 months of being told that I was suffering from IBS and who am I to question a doctors diagnosis? But after 12 months of IBS medication and feeling no better I did just that and sought a second opinion, and was subsequently diagnosed with bowel cancer.After two weeks of sheer hell , I’m going to die and all those sorts of thoughts I had my MRI and CT scans which concluded that I had low down bowel cancer and would need radical surgery and a permanent stoma. But before this, I would require 5 weeks of combined radio and chemotherapy, so things are getting better. Not only have I recently been diagnosed with bowel cancer at 38 years old, still to this day I’m told that I’m too young to have bowel cancer.
I now know this to be complete nonsense, but a surgeon wants to make a big incision in my stomach, remove the cancer and surrounding tissue, turn me over and remove my anus, then make a further incision on the left side of my stomach so that he can attach my stoma and he described it as simple as that.
Obviously not happy about what I was about to endure, I took to the Internet and kept seeing some guy called Mark Davies appearing who I contacted and Mark led me to the now appointed Professor Myint at the Clatterbridge. Mark had Papillon treatment many years before.
After the 5 weeks of combined radio and chemotherapy my tumour had shrunk to more or less nothing (I had a 5cm tumour to begin with) I had my referral to Professor Myint who undertook 3 sessions of Papillon treatment.
I’m now 41 years old and have 6 monthly checks and thankfully I now only have scar tissue remaining which is amazing and it has been good to see the opinion of people change regarding Papillon, as even my Surgeon and Oncologist have now come around to the idea of the treatment. Now with the NICE approval this is the icing on the cake for the Papillon treatment.
I can’t thank Mark Davies and Professor Myint enough for what they have done for me.
Anyone that is in the same position as I was then I’m sorry you are, but there is an alternative to the standard treatment that is offered, so get a referral to one of the hospitals that are mentioned on this website to see if the treatment is suitable for you.
Richard.