Chris Cairns diagnosed with bowel cancer six months after spinal stroke

The former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has been diagnosed with bowel cancer, six months after suffering a spinal stroke.

Cairns underwent emergency surgery in August for aortic dissection – a tear in the lining of the body’s main artery – before enduring weeks of complications that culminated in a spinal stroke.

“I was told yesterday I have bowel cancer. Big shock and not what I was expecting after what was supposed to be a routine check-up,” Cairns said on Instagram. “Another fight ahead but here’s hoping this one is a swift upper cut and over in the first round.”

“As I prepare for another round of conversations with surgeons and specialists, I keep remembering how lucky I am to be here in the first place, and how blessed I am to have all that I do in my life,” Cairns added.

The 51-year-old was briefly placed on life support amid the complications last August, and the stroke initially left him paralysed in both legs. He was only discharged last week after 141 days of treatment at the University of Canberra Hospital.

Cairns played 62 Tests, 215 one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches for his country between 1989 and 2006. His father Lance also played cricket for New Zealand. Cairns has lived in Canberra with his wife and children for several years, and posts regular updates on his rehabilitation on social media.