Father-of-four dies of bowel cancer, aged 40, within months of being diagnosed - the only warning sign was terrifyingly easy to dismiss
A father-of-four whose only sign of deadly bowel cancer was a troubling stomach ache has died, eight months after being told he had the disease.
Kyle Ingram-Baldwin, 40, had only just launched a fundraiser on June 8 to pay for alternative treatments as he was 'not prepared to give up'.
But in a heartbreaking post on the funding platform his wife Becky confirmed he had died on June 16.
'Unfortunately, Kyle took a very sudden and unexpected turn and we lost him yesterday,' she wrote.
'He was the most incredible man I have ever met, and I know he would want me to thank everyone for all your sharing and donations.'
His death comes amid a worrying trend of younger adults being diagnosed with the devastating disease.
Mr Ingram-Baldwin, from Minster, Kent, originally sought help from his GP in October after suffering a persistent stomach ache that he suspected was linked to stress or gallstones.
But after the pain got worse he ended up attending A&E where scans revealed the true devastating cause.
An ultrasound showed worrying bulges on his liver, with a follow-up CT scan confirming these were cancer.
Further tests revealed these were secondary growths from a cancer that had originated in his bowel.
This meant the disease was already at stage-four, the final and most serious stage.
Only 10 per cent of bowel cancer patients diagnosed at stage four are alive five years later, according to Cancer Research UK.
Recalling the moment he got the news Mr Ingram-Baldwin said the mental toll was extraordinary.
'I was thinking, what's going on here? What have I done wrong? I was putting the blame on my own feet and worrying about the future for my wife and kids,' he said.
'That's probably the hardest thing-the mental side.
'Don't get me wrong, the physical is not funny either, but it's a mental challenge.'
Mr Ingram-Baldwin, who worked for a vending machine supplier, underwent more than half-a-dozen rounds of gruelling chemotherapy.
But, unfortunately, this failed to bring the disease under control.
Shortly before his death Mr Ingram-Baldwin spoke about how the cancer had impacted his wife, and children aged 12, nine, three and one.
'It's really hard to put into words, because I love my kids so much. You just worry about their future,' he said.
'They've got the best mum in the world, and I genuinely mean that. My wife's incredible.'
He urged other patients to not dismiss signs that something isn't right in their bodies.
'I didn't present with any of the conventional symptoms,' he said.
'If you think anything's wrong, please press your GP and go get it checked, because I genuinely wouldn't want anyone being in my position.'
Symptoms of the bowel cancer include changes in bowel movements such as diarrhoea or constipation, needing or feeling the need to empty your bowels more or less frequently, blood in stool, stomach pain, bloating, as well as unexpected weight loss and fatigue.
Stomach pain like Mr Ingram-Baldwin experienced, a lump in the stomach, bloating and fatigue are also among other common signs.
Mr Ingram-Baldwin isn't alone in being hit by a devastating bowel cancer diagnosis as a young adult.
Experts have noted a concerning and mysterious rise in rates of the disease among young adults, defined in cancer terms as those under 50.
A recent global study found rates of bowel cancer in under 50 year-olds are rising in 27 of 50 nations.
England is averaging a 3.6 per cent rise in younger adults every year-one of the highest increases recorded.
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.
Some experts believe the explanation must lie in environmental factors young people have been exposed to more than previous generations.
While no 'smoking gun' has been found, there are multiple theories.
These include modern chemicals in diets, microplastics, pollution, and one recent study even pinned the surge on exposure to E.coli in food.
There are around 2,600 new bowel cancer cases in people aged 25-49 in Britain every year, and around 44,100 new cases among all ages.
Around 44,000 cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed every year in the UK, with about 130,000 in the US.
The disease kills almost 17,000 Britons each year, with the death toll rising to about 50,000 in America.
Overall, just over half of bowel cancer patients are expected to be alive 10 years after their diagnosis.
More than £15,000 was raised in Mr Ingram-Baldwin's drive for alternative treatments.
Mrs Ingram-Baldwin has now confirmed the amount would now be re-funded to donors.
She urged people to consider donating the money to charity or using it to 'make memories with your families'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Sir Ian McGeechan: Cancer treatment has worked
Sir Ian McGeechan has given a positive update on his cancer diagnosis, saying 'the treatment has worked'. The British and Irish Lions legend revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in an interview with Telegraph Sport last month. The Scot, who was Lions head coach for four tours, said then that he had undergone six weeks of radiotherapy treatment, and would have to wait another six weeks to discover whether it had been successful. Speaking to fellow Telegraph columnist Will Greenwood during Sky Sports' coverage of the opening Lions game against Argentina, McGeechan revealed he had since received good news about the condition. Asked about his health, McGeechan answered: 'All good, thank you, the treatment has worked. Fine.' Host Alex Payne added: 'So glad to hear that Geech has had the all clear'. McGeechan is perhaps the ultimate Lions legend after his unparalleled career both as a player and coach. The 78-year-old was inundated with messages after his Telegraph interview, with the game of rugby uniting to wish him well. McGeechan has been coaching at Doncaster Knights as he maintains his illustrious career in the game, some 51 years after he first went on a Lions tour as a player in 1974, before being selected again in 1977. McGeechan was then head coach in 1989, 1993, 1997 and 2009, as well as coach of the midweek side in 2005. When revealing his cancer diagnosis, McGeechan said he hoped his honesty would inspire others to get tested. 'I don't want to make a big thing of it, but it is important to get the message out about urging people to get tested,' he said. 'I said that to our players here. I said to them that they make sure they get themselves tested. If you are younger, it is more important. 'Hopefully this interview can be educational. What I would say to people is don't back off it. It is a blood test, it is not what you always think. Just get it done. I have good people looking after me. It is the very good side of the NHS. The staff of the Bexley Cancer Wing at St James's Hospital in Leeds have been brilliant. 'When I had my last treatment, from the receptionist to the radiographer, they all said: 'Well done, good luck, have a happy time.' Everyone. They all knew. When they are looking up your details and you are going on to your next step, it says which number of treatment is it, and it is what they say to every person when they get to their last treatment, which I think is great. That support and the environment is so positive. What will be, will be.'
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
NHS could face cuts under assisted dying law, warns Streeting
NHS services could face cuts to cover the cost of carrying out assisted deaths, the Health Secretary has warned. Under the Bill passed on Friday, the NHS will be expected to carry out the assisted dying procedures. Analysis suggests that implementation of assisted dying may cost the health service close to half a billion pounds within a decade, with each death costing the taxpayer more than £15,000. Assisted dying is set to be legalised in England and Wales after a historic vote saw it voted through by a majority of 23 MPs. However, Wes Streeting – who voted against the Bill – is understood to be deeply concerned about the impact it might have on an overstretched NHS. Speaking ahead of the vote, he warned: 'There isn't money allocated to set up the service in the Bill', while stressing that the Government would respect the decision of the House. Previously, he had warned there would be 'choices and trade-offs' to make, saying 'any new service comes at the expense of other competing pressures and priorities'. Last week, the Health Secretary said the NHS was 'in a fight for its life' as he described his mission to turn the service around. A number of MPs who opposed the Bill have raised concerns that assisted dying could take resources away from patients. On Tuesday, Dame Siobhain McDonagh, a Labour MP who voted against the legislation, said it could become 'the Trojan horse that breaks the NHS', saying it would 'rob our stretched NHS of much-needed resources'. The impact assessment of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill estimates that up to 28,317 people will die by state assisted suicide within the first 10 years of rollout. This rises from 647 in year one to more than 4,500 by 2038, and could mean costs of £429 million for the NHS over the decade. The spending includes educating all health and social care staff, training the doctors and nurses involved in the assisted dying service, setting up a regulator, as well as the costs of the lethal drugs themselves. Training staff is set to be the biggest cost – especially as the service is created. This could cost up to £35.5 million in the first year if all involved got the highest level of training available with no one opting out. There would then be recurring annual costs of between £10-22 million. Staff costs could reach £72 million over 10 years, with up to seven staff working for 32 hours per assisted death, it concludes. None of the calculations include the lost productivity and knock-on effects of the work the doctors are no longer able to carry out as a result. The impact assessment puts the cost of the drugs required at around £15 per person. However, independent experts have said it is highly likely to cost more. The Government also predicts a regulator and panel to assess cases would cost up to £13.6 million every year to run. The assessment suggests that overall, the Government could save money as a result of the earlier deaths, with overall savings of more than £640 million. Some of these savings could be made by the NHS. By 2038, health services could save up to £71.5 million a year on end-of-life care, because of the savings from not providing costly hospital care for cancer. Assisted dying is now on course to be available by 2029. Adults with a terminal illness and less than six months to live will be eligible under the new law. The law passed despite widespread opposition, with opponents raising concerns over the dropping of a requirement for a High Court judge to sign off on all assisted dying cases. Critics also warned that the law would 'normalise the choice of death over life, care, respect and love'.
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Assisted dying bill: People on both sides of the debate react to historic vote
People on both sides of the assisted dying debate have told Sky News how they feel about the outcome of today's vote – and while some are popping open champagne, others are "incredibly disappointed". More than 300 MPs this afternoon backed a bill that gives people in England and Wales who have less than six months to live the right to apply for an assisted death. Each request will be evaluated by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. Today's historic vote means the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will now go to the House of Lords for further scrutiny before becoming law. Following the landmark vote, individuals for and against it have shared their feelings on the result. Frank Tate-Sutton - For 6:04 Frank Tate-Sutton is terminally ill and told Sky News she's relieved the bill has passed, even though the law won't be changed in time for her. "These are happy tears," she said. "I am emotional. It's a very difficult subject for everybody." Ms Tate-Sutton said her quality of life is "very important - and I'm losing it". "I don't want to die without dignity, without it being my choice, without my family knowing that this is what I want," she continued. "As much as they [my family] want me alive, do they want to see me lying in my living room in a hospital bed, taking all these drugs, not being able to talk, not being able to control my bodily functions? "That is not a life, for me - living on all the medications and not being able to exist without that… the side effects and everything." Mike Smith - Against 5:20 Mike Smith is a spokesperson for the disability rights group Not Dead Yet - and he has been left "incredibly disappointed" by the outcome of the vote. "This particular bill had so many failings in the way safeguards are constructed and the significant scope for coercion, whether it's overt or subliminal," he said. Mr Smith says he fears some people will "end up ending their lives earlier than they should do or want to". "There are so many disabled people around the country that have told us they're absolutely scared." "I think it's this inherent fear people have about being disabled that drives this very emotional response on this really complex topic," he explained. "What we know is, with good palliative care, social care, access to housing and an income, many disabled people ... can lead amazing lives." 6:48 Rebecca Wilcox and her TV presenter mother Dame Esther Rantzen, who has terminal cancer, have long been campaigning for a change to the UK's law on assisted dying. Speaking from Parliament Square as fellow supporters of the bill popped champagne behind her, Ms Wilcox described today's vote as "an extraordinary moment". "It means so much to me," she said. "I spoke to mum and her one word to describe it was 'wow'. "She didn't think she was going to live to see the debate, let alone a conclusion that went our way." In response to concerns about safeguarding, she said it will "bring in layer upon layer of safeguards". "We're going to have scrutiny upon scrutiny for every case and at the moment, there is no scrutiny," she said. "Coercion could be happening as we speak. "There is now protection for vulnerable people, by having this bill passed." Dr Gordon Macdonald - Against Dr Macdonald said the bill passing with a majority of 23 - less than half what its second reading achieved - is proof that "the more people have thought about this issue, the more they've had doubts". The doctor, who is the CEO of anti-euthanasia organisation Care not Killing, said: "We will see what happens when it gets to the [House of] Lords, the Lords will hopefully give it more rigorous scrutiny than happened in the Commons". His biggest concern is "for people who are vulnerable, who will feel pressure to end their lives". "That might come from external forces, but it's more likely to just be internalised pressure," Dr Macdonald said. "They'll feel they're a burden on their family and friends, conscious of the cost of care, and think they should do the decent thing, as they would see it in that thinking." It's "of course a terrible message for society to send out to people," he said.
