Rhiannon Ingle
An influencer who was diagnosed with stomach cancer has said that it was his daughter’s death which ultimately led to his diagnosis.
Sidney Raz, who is well-known on social media for his popular 'Life Hacks' series, has taken to TikTok to open up about receiving the diagnosis despite not showing any symptoms.
Sidney opened up about how his daughter sadly died in utero at 26 weeks from holoprosencephaly which is a birth defect where the brain doesn’t form properly.
Following the tragic news, Sidney and his wife Kelsey underwent genetic testing to determine what might have gone wrong with the pregnancy.
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It was only then he discovered he had stomach cancer.
Now, while there wasn't a definitive answer as to what caused his daughter's condition, Sidney explained that she had a genetic deletion that can cause cancer which he also seemed to share. And it was this that prompted him to schedule an endoscopy.
"It was literally just my daughter’s DNA that saved my life," the influencer said in a video posted to TikTok last week (5 April). "And now there can be a path forward."
Discussing how he seemed to have the same deletion of CTNNA1 as his daughter, Sidney continued: "Because of that deletion, in recent years, it has been seen to cause certain types of cancer - specifically stomach cancer.
"I went in for the endoscopy, and today I found out that I have stomach cancer."
He went on: "I don’t know why I feel so compelled to post this on the internet, but I think it’s because I love the community and I love everything that has happened for me on the internet. But I also want to reassure myself that it’s probably the best case scenario that I could’ve hoped for."
And, Sidney shared, out of 36 biopsies taken, 'only one' of them showed cancer.
Opening up about his next steps in a follow-up post, the influencer explained that he would need to have his stomach removed.
"You can just do that, and then keep going, apparently," he said. "Total [removal], no more stomach, no more tummy."
Luckily, the cancer was caught at an early enough stage where 'taking out my stomach is the best course of action' he assured viewers, before adding: "The doctor said today that if I hadn't caught it this early, I will be back within three years at stage 3 or 4 cancer."
He concluded: "So I might not have a stomach, but I’ll be here in three to four years."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.