61-Year-Old Scottish Man Who Joked About Being The 'Fittest Guy' Diagnosed With Terminal Cancer After Weight Loss
Life can hit you hard when you're least expecting, and the same goes for a father-of-three who used to joke about being the 'fittest guy' until he was told that his cancer diagnosis is now stage 4 and terminal.
William White, 61, from West Lothian, Scotland, was first diagnosed with colon cancer in February 2020, after noticing weight loss and blood in his stools in 2019. Following the incident, the Scottish man who lives with his wife, Ellie, 58, and three children, Ross, 38, Cheryl, 36 and Hayley, 29, has undergone surgery and chemotherapy but relapsed.
The Scottish man told a leading media outlet, "Christmas 2019, I'm talking about being the fittest guy, the fittest 55-year-old I know and within weeks, I'm diagnosed with colon cancer and my world has been turned upside down. Now, my mission is raising awareness about stage 4, that you can still go out and do special things when you have cancer, you can still make memories. My time is limited, and I am going to make absolutely the most of what I've got. I tell everybody just to live their life as if it's their last day."
"I had surgery to remove part of my colon, I had chemo, and everything was OK for a couple of years," William explained. "I went for a routine scan in 2022 and found out my cancer had returned."
After which his routine scan in August 2023 delivered devastating news when he discovered the development of his colon cancer to stage 4 and was deemed terminal with an average course of disease for 2 and a half years.
William reignited his childhood passion for LEGO during treatment and now has 70 sets, which include a Formula One car, flowers and even a castle. Reportedly, his love for LEGO has helped him plan his funeral, which will showcase a LEGO-themed coffin and order of service.
"Lego just became a go-to, and then people started buying it for me, and it became out of hand," he said. "I ended up milking two birthday parties for my 60th but they were both Lego-themed, with Lego bunting, a Lego cake and a Lego figure of me, and that's how it started."
The Scottist man, who is also a grandfather of three, encourages people with unusual symptoms to get checked and not wait until retirement "to do the things you want to do."
Colon cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, occurs when abnormal growths called polyps grow out of control in your colon and rectum. Experts claim that taking a screening test can help find the polyps' growth so they can be found and removed before they turn into cancer.
A person living with colon cancer may often show symptoms like changes in bowel habits, blood in their stool, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, aches, cramps, unexplained weight loss, weakness, fatigue, and digestive issues like diarrhoea and constipation.
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Early-stage diagnosis of colon cancer is often associated with a 5-year survival rate.
Colon cancer can be treated through surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or targeted therapy.
Colon cancer can be caused due to several factors. People above the age of 50, family history of colorectal cancer, and poor lifestyle habits are at risk of developing this cancer type.
Colon cancer is typically diagnosed through a Colonoscopy. Other tests include CT scan, MRI, and blood tests.
