A 22-year-old man has been told he has less than a year to live after suffering from a stomach ache. Nickodemus Dacres, from Croydon, south London, has been diagnosed with stage four medullary renal cell carcinoma (RMC), one of the rarest and most aggressive forms of kidney cancer.
His symptoms began two years ago with extreme stomach pain and blood in his urine. After months of tests, the diagnosis was confirmed on February 6 last year. Since then, he has been in and out of hospital, with his mother, Donna Dacres, 59, by his side.
A Rare and Aggressive Cancer
Donna said her son's cancer is shared by only nine other people in the UK. According to the Ricky Casey Trust, fewer than 400 cases of RMC have been reported worldwide, with most information coming from small case studies.
Donna described her heartbreak: “As a mum, nothing prepares you for watching your child suffer, knowing there is so little you can do to take the pain away. I cry every single day. When I look at my son I just can’t believe it. He was such a bubbly young man. He lights up everywhere. It is just hard for me to even go to the hospital and look at him.”
The Long Road to Diagnosis
Nickodemus, a poker dealer, first noticed the pain in July 2024 while at work. When he tried to urinate, blood came out instead, and a colleague rushed him to A&E. After five days in hospital, he was discharged and returned to work. Over the following months, he underwent numerous tests, and a scan eventually found a small tumour in his right kidney, but the family was not told it was cancer.
The lump grew, and in December 2024, surgeons removed his kidney and several lymph nodes for testing. In February, Donna received a call to bring her son to the hospital immediately, where they received the devastating diagnosis.
Donna, originally from Jamaica, said: “He was at work and he started having really bad tummy pain. They sent us to the oncology department and I didn’t even know what that was. No one in our family is ever sick. When I asked the doctor why we were going down there he said it was stage four cancer. I was really stunned. I am from Caribbean people and it is very rare that we deal with such a disease. I was so shocked.”
Cancer Spreads Despite Treatment
By the time it was found, the cancer had already spread to his lymph nodes and lungs. He was put on chemotherapy, but doctors warned that if it didn't work, he would have less than a year to live. Despite all treatments, the cancer has progressed, spreading to his liver and bones. He has been hospitalised for two months, suffering constant pain, vomiting, and an inability to eat, causing his weight to drop from 74kg to under 55kg.
Donna said: “At just 22 years old, Nickodemus should be building his future, chasing his dreams and making memories with his friends and family. Watching that energetic, independent young man become so poorly has been absolutely heartbreaking.”
A Desperate Need for Funding
Nickodemus's cancer is so rare that the targeted chemotherapy that could help shrink his tumours is not routinely funded by the NHS. The family has started the treatment, which costs £8,000 every 28 days, totaling over £50,000. A GoFundMe page has raised more than £11,000 so far.
Donna added: “Asking for help is one of the hardest things we have ever had to do. We have always tried to face life's challenges together as a family, but this is something we simply cannot do alone. There are only ten people in the whole of the UK who have the same cancer my son has. Less than a thousand people in the world have it.”
