'The world swallows you up' - Man's 'isolating' diagnosis after mistaking symptoms for hockey injury

  • ITV Channel's Hannah Ludlow speaks to a man who was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour after mistaking his symptoms for a hockey injury

A man who mistook a cancerous tumour in his leg for a hockey injury has shared the details of his "isolating" struggle after being diagnosed.

In November 2021, Jersey's associate chief ambulance officer Gordon Hunt, noticed that his thigh was swollen after a hockey training session.

When the growth failed to stop swelling, he went to his GP to get it checked out.

After scans and tests, Gordon was diagnosed with a Grade 3 tumour.

Gordon had various tests before getting his diagnosis Credit: Gordon Hunt

He describes the diagnosis as "isolating", saying: "The world swallows you up quite quickly, so many questions go through your head and you don't know what is next, you don't know where to turn to for support."

With treatment only available in the UK, Gordon was forced to leave his wife and children for extended periods of time to travel to Southampton and Birmingham.

He came close to losing his leg altogether and at one point he thought he would never walk again.

Throughout his treatment and rehabilitation, the paramedic relied on social media and local charities for support.

He says: "I found that by opening up, by using social media to communicate with other people, to speak with friends, to speak with charities, I felt far less alone.

"With Macmillan Jersey, the therapeutic services that they offer, the help and guidance, the warm cup of tea and a chat, just being able to go and be amongst people that can support you and understand you, really make a difference."

Gordon returned to Jersey's Ambulance Service in January, where he says the support of his colleagues made the return to work easier.

New figures from Macmillan Jersey show that more than double the number of women than men seek support from the charity's services.

In 2021, 250 women and 87 men accessed the charity for the first time, following a diagnosis. In 2022, these figures increased to 311 women and 127 men.

That is despite the latest figures from Cancer Research UK showing that there are more new cancer cases in men than women every year.

Last year, Macmillan Jersey ran a 'Get Men Talking' campaign, which the charity's manager says helped to encourage more men to seek support.

Pam Aubert says: "We're looking at different ways to engage with men in the community.

"We had a prostate cancer awareness week at the end of last year where we saw nearly 150 new men which is great."

Dr Mair says he sees more women than men come forward with abnormal symptoms Credit: ITV Channel

Whilst more men are accessing support following a diagnosis, GPs still see fewer men than women come forward to check out any abnormalities.

Dr James Mair said: "Men are often quite keen to tough it out and see if it all goes away.

"They're perhaps a little prone to being in denial about their symptoms."

He wants men to see their GP if they experience:

  • New breathlessness

  • New weight-loss

  • Unexplained loss of appetite

  • Pain or swelling anywhere

  • Lumps if they persist for more than a couple of weeks

If you or someone you care about has been affected by cancer, there are groups in the Channel Islands to help provide support:

Jersey

Guernsey

Alderney

  • Alderney Cancer Relief provides financial support for cancer patients and their families. Rockmount House, Rockmount, Alderney (01481) 822995

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