WHEN Will Wise started feeling hot and sweaty on the subway on his way to work one morning, he assumed it was just the stress of the commute.
He had to be at the office in London at 8:30am and was “rushing” to make sure he got there on time.
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But the former professional basketball player, who now worked in recruiting, fell seriously ill before reaching his desk.
The 30-year-old’s heart was racing and he began vomiting blood.
Eventually, he collapsed and was rushed to hospital, where tests revealed he had incurable cancer.
“One in two people will get cancer, but I didn’t know that before I went through it,” Will said.
Your life changed forever on November 28, 2022.
Will, originally from inner-city Philadelphia, USA, and now living in west London, said: “I didn’t have any symptoms. Being a former professional basketball player, I was in good shape.
“I actually went for a run that morning, took a shower and went to work.
“When I was on the subway, I started sweating a lot.
“I remember thinking, ‘What is happening? Maybe I worked too hard, it’s normal’.
“But I had a terrible headache and was still sweating like I had just played a game of basketball.
“But anyone who lives in London or has been there knows that the tube is sticky and hot.”
As soon as Will got to work, he collapsed on the stairs. He was weak, dazed and unable to walk.
Then he started vomiting and couldn’t stop.
“I was vomiting and vomiting, and it was this color that was green, but I hadn’t eaten anything green, so my mind was blown,” he said.
Will managed to call his colleagues for help, and they rushed to help him and called 999.
But before an ambulance could arrive, Will began projecting “pools of blood.”
He then took an Uber to the nearest hospital and fell to the ground at the entrance.
“All my organs were failing,” said Will, who is 6 feet tall and wears size 15 shoes. “[The paramedics] I had never seen anything like it.
“My heart, my kidneys, my liver, my lungs – they were all failing simultaneously.”
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Will, who recently played for the Eastern Mavericks in Australia, was put on a ventilator to keep him alive while doctors raced to find out what was wrong.
They finally found an 8cm tumor on the left adrenal gland.
“It’s called pheochromocytoma and it produces abnormal amounts of adrenaline, which is why all my organs shut down,” he said.
“On average, a human’s adrenaline ranges from zero to 1,000, but when I got sick mine was 50,000.”
Eight weeks later, Will was told he had medullary thyroid cancer, which had spread to stage four.
‘I JUST FREEZE’
“I just froze at that moment – time stopped,” he said.
“It took me a while to process what was happening.
“Once we started talking about exams and surgery, that’s when it all became really real.”
Will underwent treatment, undergoing surgery to remove the left adrenal gland, thyroid, parathyroid and 65 lymph nodes – in addition to a liver biopsy.
He continues to be monitored, but knows he will never be cured.
Stage four cancer means the disease has spread from where it started to another organ.
It is generally not curable, but treatment can improve survival and quality of life.
It’s no longer about fighting or fighting cancer, it’s about surviving cancer
Wise
Will, who now works as a coach and community coordinator for the Richmond Knights, has created his own social media movement and charity, CancerBaeto help others who are going through the same experience.
“I’m on a mission to change the stigma associated with cancer,” he said.
“It’s no longer about fighting or fighting cancer, it’s about surviving cancer.
“For stage four people like me living with cancer, it is our only choice.
“It was a shock and scary, but just because I was diagnosed with stage four cancer, I just don’t stop being Will.”
The sportsman, adopted at 14, lives with his Australian fiancee, Alex Hosking.
The 28-year-old said his goal is to remain as optimistic about life as possible.
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“For us, it’s not about fighting cancer or even surviving it – it’s about living with it,” she said.
Alex, a singer-songwriter, admitted that following Will’s diagnosis there were many tears.
But once they got over the initial shock, they were able to look beyond it and see that there was so much more to life to be enjoyed.
“It was shocking and scary, especially at such a young age when you feel invincible,” she said.
“But even with words like ‘cancer’ and ‘stage four,’ you realize you just have to move on.
“Although it is difficult, we try to remain positive and optimistic.”
Will, who is also TikTokshared her story to support Cancer Research UK’s life-saving research.
He was guest of honor and started at the charity Race for Life event in Battersea.
What is medullary thyroid cancer?
There are many different types of thyroid cancer.
Most start in follicular cells, but a small number start in C cells. These are called medullary thyroid cancer.
This type of cancer is rare. About a quarter of cases are caused by an inherited faulty gene that runs in the family.
Medullary thyroid cancer can spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver or lungs.
The most common symptom is a mass or lump in the neck, which can be painful.
But people may also experience difficulty swallowing, breathing problems, hoarse voice, pressure or discomfort in the neck, flushed face, diarrhea and weight loss.
Source: Cancer Research UK
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
