Daventry man undergoes eight hours of surgery to remove rare cancer

Matthew Sumpter, 33, has faced his darkest days since being diagnosed with cancer of the appendix and a condition called Pseudomyxoma (PMP) - the same disease that took the life of Audrey Hepburn.

Now Matthew has set himself a £5,000 fundraising target to help others in need.

He told The Gusher: "The coronavirus pandemic was on the forefront of everyone's minds during 2020 - for me, it was a very different matter."

" I was going for regular hospital scans for suspected cancer. After several scans, procedures, surgery and several months later I was diagnosed with a rare cancer of the appendix and a condition called Pseudomyxoma, the disease that killed Audrey Hepburn.

"Luckily for me this was caught early and was treatable using procedures called Cytoreductive Surgery and HIPEC, dubbed ‘The Mother Of All Surgeries’. This surgery is extreme, it has to be in order to win the fight. A fight I didn’t want to lose. After eight hours of surgery removing several things, scraping the cancerous mucin off vital organs, I am pleased to say it was successful."

He said the battle had only just started.

"After the surgery I lay there with fluid draining from my lungs, chemo draining from my abdomen and my body being held together by staples," said Matthew.

"I had some dark days and some very painful days. For sure there were some mental battles. Words were written and one day I may share. But on those dark days I’d say to myself: 'I’m still here, still standing and I’m still fighting'."

He said thanks to his family and friends, his life is now back on track.

Matthew said: "We cannot always help what happens to us but we can control how we react, adapt and move forward.

"So I am wanting to turn this negative into a positive by raising funds to help those in need. Each month I shall be raising money for a different charity, cause or programme."

He has raised hundreds so far and won't give up until he's reached his target.

Matthew said: "After a few set backs and further hospital visits I’m now doing great! I’m back at work, back doing some light training and looking forward to living life and helping others."

To support Matthew's fundraiser, search for 'Livin and Givin' on Go Fund Me.