{"id":20032,"date":"2025-07-24T10:08:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T10:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/20032\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T10:08:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T10:08:10","slug":"dad-31-who-had-huge-cancerous-tumour-in-his-bowel-reveals-the-red-flag-he-ignored","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/20032\/","title":{"rendered":"Dad, 31, who had huge cancerous tumour in his bowel reveals the ‘red flag’ he ignored"},"content":{"rendered":"

A father-of-three who was diagnosed with bowel cancer at just 31-years-old has urged others not to dismiss a little-known sign of the aggressive disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chris Kirt started suffering irregular bowel movements and stomach cramps in August 2024 but he shrugged them off as nothing to worry about, reluctant to seek help.<\/p>\n

But, when he started experiencing one ‘stand out’ symptom, he knew it could be something more serious.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘The one red flag that was really worrying was actually the fact that I had zero pain when I was passing a bowel movement and there was blood,’ he told his 12,000 TikTok<\/a> followers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘This was the thing that scared me to death more than anything and I knew in my heart it was cancer<\/a>.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

Recalling the run-up to his devastating diagnosis he said:\u00a0‘There were the typical symptoms you’d expect: irregular bowel movements, cramps, urgency to got the bathroom, not being able to go to the bathroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘But this stood out more than anything.\u00a0When you have blood you expect to have some sort of pain. There was zero pain for me.’<\/p>\n

According to the NHS, bowel cancer sufferers may experience bleeding from the rectum or blood in the stool, but this can be painless.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An anal fissure\u2014a small tear in the anus that usually is not serious\u2014causes severe sharp pain typically accompanied by bright red blood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mr Kirt added: ‘I was losing thick, dark red blood which was light to begin with dark at the end with zero pain whatsoever.’<\/p>\n

Common symptoms of bowel cancer include bleeding from the rectum, abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, extreme fatigue and needing to go to the toilet with more urgency than usual.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite knowing that something was wrong, a long waiting list stood between Mr Kirt and a explorative colonoscopy to check inside his bowels to identify exactly what was causing his symptoms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As his condition rapidly deteriorated, Mr Kirt decided to pay for the procedure privately, desperate to get a diagnosis.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Speaking about the colonoscopy that finally revealed his cancer, he said:\u00a0‘I had been sedated, but I still aware of what’s going on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I look at the screen and the first thing I see is this big giant snotty ball on the side of my colon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I know it’s not right. The room goes quiet. The doctors aren’t saying anything. I look at the screen and say what is that\u2014that’s cancer.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Chris had just proposed to his partner, Lauren, 26 (pictured) when his condition rapidly deteriorated\u00a0<\/p>\n

Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n

\"Chris <\/p>\n

Chris experienced a number of tell-tale warning signs, but it was only when he started bleeding without pain that he thought it could be something more serious<\/p>\n

‘I don’t remember anything after that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I woke up and I was in the recovery room. I see a doctor to my left with a notepad and a few nurses to my right and I immediately knew it wasn’t good.’<\/p>\n

The newly-engaged software developer has since undergone surgery to have a third of his bowel removed and is now in remission.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are around 44,100 new cases of bowel cancer every year in the UK, making it the third most common cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cancer Research UK estimated over half of bowel cancer cases in the Uk are preventable.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But cases are rising in young people, an alarming trend that experts have linked to modern diets, chemical exposure and mobile phone radiation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although the vast majority of bowel cancer diagnoses affect those aged over 50, rates in older age-groups have held while diagnoses in youngsters are soaring.<\/p>\n

Rising obesity levels have led to a tripling of deaths<\/a> from cancers linked to being overweight, American medics have warned.<\/p>\n

Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n

This included deaths from bowel and colon cancer, a form of the disease known to be mysteriously rising among young healthy adults under 50.<\/p>\n

While obesity is thought to be responsible for about 5 per cent of all cancers in the UK, this dramatically increases for certain types.<\/p>\n

For bowel cancer\u2014which includes colon and rectal cancer\u2014obesity or being overweight triggers 11 per cent of all cases of this disease.<\/p>\n

Men are especially at risk with research suggesting a man’s risk of developing bowel cancer increases by 10 per cent for every 11lbs (5kg) he puts on in adulthood.<\/p>\n

While the disease is known linked to obesity, experts have noted that the disease also seems to also be occurring in fit and healthy patients.<\/p>\n

Some experts believe the explanation must lie in environmental factors young people have been exposed to more than previous generations.<\/p>\n

While no ‘smoking gun’ has been found, there are multiple theories.<\/p>\n

These include modern chemicals in diets, microplastics, pollution, and one recent study even pinned the surge on exposure to E. coli in food.<\/p>\n