Paramedic who felt 'fine and healthy' given devastating cancer diagnosis

A paramedic who 'felt fine and healthy' before being given a devastating cancer diagnosis has urged other people to 'push for the help they need'.

Iain Duffy, a senior paramedic team leader at the North West Ambulance Service, felt on top of the world after moving into his new house with his wife Andrea last December. But Iain then noticed some blood in his stools.

He thought it 'wasn't quite right' but celebrated Christmas and New Year with his family and friends. In January, he went to see his GP and was eventually diagnosed with bowel cancer.

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He was later left devastated after finding out it the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. Iain, who was a year into his two-year secondment as a clinical lecturer at the University of Cumbria when he had his first symptoms, said: "I remember finding the blood at the beginning of December and thinking, that isn’t quite right.

"I kind of just got on with my life and celebrating the festivities with friends and family. Towards the end of December, the blood became more prevalent, and I knew something wasn’t normal for me.

"In January this year, I went to see my GP who advised me it is likely haemorrhoids. This didn’t feel right to me.

"I remembered my brother getting sent for bowel screening as he has reached a certain age so I asked the GP if I could be screened. Thirteen days later I had a colonoscopy."

During the colonoscopy, Iain noticed a big lump on the wall of his bowel on the screen. “I had been having a laugh and a joke with the clinician performing my colonoscopy when the mood