Umesh's story – Kidney Cancer

When dad-of-two Umesh had back pain, he thought it was a sports injury from playing badminton.  It was only two years later, when he noticed blood in his urine in October 2024, that he went to get checked out.  

He said: “Just before going to bed, I went to the toilet just as I always do. But instead of passing urine, I passed a full stream of blood.” 

He had a series of tests, which led to the discovery of a 6cm tumour on his right kidney.  

Umesh said: “The doctor said: ‘We’ve found something on your kidney and it’s going to need some treatment’.  

“I asked him if it was cancer and he said ‘yes’, which is when I completely broke down and just started crying and asked to ring my wife, Ellen. 

“When you hear that word ‘cancer’ you instantly think ‘death sentence’; you get that feeling as if you’ve been kicked in the stomach. 

“It was a slow-growing tumour, and the doctors said that I’d actually been living with cancer from between 15-20 years without knowing.” 

Ellen said: “He could have had it when we met. He likely had it when we got married and then when our kids Eva and Ellis were born.” 

The cancer was contained within the kidney, and Umesh opted for full removal to eliminate any chance of needing a second operation. 

At the start of December his kidney was removed, and no further treatment was needed.  Ellen said she was so relieved to see him after the surgery. 

Umesh said: “I remember her coming in to see me – I was so happy to see her.  

“When I think back, I could have been one of those guys that just ignored the problem.  That version of events doesn’t really bear thinking about.” 

Umesh is being followed up regularly and is keen to encourage people not to delay getting help if they have any symptoms.