A father-of-two who dismissed severe stomach pain as the result of a "dodgy sausage" from a family barbecue was later told he had stage four bowel cancer and months to live.
Matt Eamer, 44, from Redhill, Surrey, began experiencing discomfort days after celebrating his son Alex's second birthday in September 2020. Despite hospital treatment, his condition did not improve. Tests at East Surrey Hospital revealed a significant blockage in his large intestine.
Surgery to remove the mass confirmed stage four bowel cancer. After six months of chemotherapy, further surgery in March 2021 revealed the cancer had spread to his peritoneum. Doctors found Mr Eamer had a BRAF mutation and gave a prognosis of months.
He began taking newly approved immunotherapy drugs Cetuximab and Encorafenib. Remarkably, he responded well and five years on shows no signs of cancer while continuing medication. "Hitting five years with stage four is a rarity," he said.
In December 2024, Mr Eamer underwent a 14-hour operation to extract tissue from his ribcage and HIPEC chemotherapy. He now plans to participate in a charity cycling event with Sir Chris Hoy in Glasgow on September 7 for Bowel Cancer UK, marking five years since his diagnosis.
