A 23-year-old poker dealer from Croydon has died from a rare and aggressive form of kidney cancer, which first appeared as a stomach ache. Nickodemus Dacres was diagnosed with stage four medullary renal cell carcinoma (RMC) last year, a condition reportedly shared by only nine other people in the UK.
His mother, Donna Dacres, 59, said the chemotherapy he was undergoing, which had initially given her hope, ultimately led to liver failure. Nickodemus passed away on 26 September, after being in and out of hospital since his diagnosis on 6 February.
Stomach pain led to diagnosis
Nickodemus first experienced severe stomach pains during a shift in July 2024. When he attempted to urinate, blood appeared instead, and a colleague rushed him to A&E. Tests over several months eventually revealed a small tumour in his right kidney, but the family was not told it was cancer.
In December 2024, surgeons removed the kidney and several lymph nodes for testing. In February, Donna received the devastating cancer diagnosis. She said: "They sent us to the oncology department, and I didn't even know what that was. No one in our family is ever sick. I was really stunned."
Treatment and decline
By the time it was detected, the cancer had spread beyond his kidney to his lymph nodes and lungs. Despite chemotherapy, it advanced to his liver and bones, leaving him vomiting relentlessly – his weight plummeted from 74kg to under 55kg.
After fundraising for targeted chemotherapy, which is not routinely funded by the NHS, his condition improved for several weeks. He stopped vomiting, and doctors confirmed the treatment was effective. But new symptoms emerged, including dark urine, shoulder pain, jaundiced eyes, and black vomit. Several scans showed no change, so chemotherapy continued.
Final hours and aftermath
While Donna was attending a church conference in Manchester – the first time she had left her son in over two years – she received a call from Nickodemus on Saturday morning saying things were serious. She began driving back immediately, but doctors rang before she could arrive, telling her he had passed away. Upon arriving at the hospital, she was told his liver had failed.
Donna said: "I just started to scream. I love him so much. He is my only son here, I don't have anybody. I had no indication that he was going to die. The one time I left him in over two years. I went to church and he died. He died by himself. They knew his liver was failing from the morning. They had my number on file and knew I never left him and nobody called me."
She feels let down by the hospital for failing to contact her and believes the final round of chemotherapy should not have been administered given his condition. She has given up her job to care for him and is now fundraising to cover his funeral costs. She urged other young people to seek medical advice, saying: "Young black guys need to go to their GP regularly to get checked. If you notice any abdominal pain do not ignore it."
