'I was diagnosed with incurable cancer after something strange happened on train'

A former pro basketball player is now living with incurable cancer - after symptoms began to appear on the London Underground.

Will Wise, 31, had hung up his jersey after seven years on the court to embark on a career in recruitment.

But Wise, who stands 6ft 8in, saw his life take a dramatic turn one morning before work, following a workout and morning run. A tube journey from hell followed, which ultimately led to an eventual diagnosis of stage four thyroid cancer and a separate cancerous tumour in his adrenal gland.

Will initially brushed off profuse sweating as a consequence of his workout and the typically stuffy conditions underground. He told BristolLive: "I was running a little late and when I got on the tube I was sweating really bad and I just thought it was because I was running late. I had just worked out so I wasn't really thinking too much of it other than it was really hot on the tube as it always is."

Cancer Research UK confirms that excessive sweating can indeed be a symptom of cancer, particularly in advanced stages like Will's.

A headache soon followed, with Will's condition deteriorating as the journey progressed. He recounted the experience: "I started getting sensitive to the light. I started getting this pulsing headache and I had to sit down. I remember the light messing with my eyes and me feeling uncomfortable."

He managed to get himself off at Oxford Circus before finally making it to his office in Soho. But pausing to collect himself before getting in the elevator, he took a moment to compose himself, but he knew something was wrong and didn't go in.

Then, standing in the stairwell, Will recalls: "I started to vomit and it was discoloured and greenish. I didn't have anything green to eat. At this time my shirt is soaked, I went from being a little bit sweaty to literally looking as if I had jumped in a pool and I was throwing up."

He messaged a colleague for help, who initially mistook his dire state for a hangover, but after freshening up with a shower and laying down on a common area sofa, Will's situation took a harrowing turn. He revealed: "I then started to throw up blood, like speckled blood. Then the speckled blood turned into full blood. Imagine having the hiccups and every time you hiccup you throw up blood. It was really scary."

When thyroid cancer advances to other ares of the body, additional symptoms such as nausea and vomiting can occur, according to Moffitt Cancer Centre.

Will was rushed to hospital where he immediately collapsed onto the floor before later being told his heart, liver, kidneys and lungs were all failing.

"I hadn't presented any symptoms prior so it was a little bit shocking," he said.

Eventually, after being put on a ventilator, medics got him under control and doctors managed to stabilise Will before dropping the bombshell news: He had an 8cm tumour in his left adrenal gland, known as pheochromocytoma, which typically presents with headaches, heavy sweating, and vomiting.

Following a six-week hospital stay, in January 2023, Will faced another shock - he was diagnosed with stage four medullary thyroid cancer.

He admits: "It was very scary in the sense that... the actual moment of them telling me I had stage four cancer felt surreal. I was with my partner at the time and we were just sitting there looking at each other and we both made a joke, like, 'oh I guess we gotta go out tonight', just trying to release the pressure and tension."

Treatment for Will has been intensive, involving three surgeries to remove tumours from his adrenal gland, thyroid, and parathyroid, as well as 65 lymph nodes. With another surgery on the horizon, the possibility of further treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy looms. Although a cure is not on the cards, these interventions aim to extend survival and enhance life quality.

In the face of adversity, Will, wants to try and change the narrative around cancer. He founded a charity named CancerBae, which seeks to support others affected by the illness and transform public perception of the condition.

Describing the ethos behind his innovative charity, he explained: "It is a new age charity based on changing the stigma associated with cancer. We do that through unique fundraising events that give a different look to what living with cancer looks like.

"Most people hear the word cancer and think of chemo, think of pain, think of trauma, think of sadness, think of darkness, think of loneliness. But we are on a mission to help change that because I'm a believer in you are your energy, you are what you put out, you are your thoughts, so if you are constantly thinking about dark things while you are going through these dark times, it is only going to get darker.

"So we are just trying to vibrant it up and you know, uniquely position ourselves in that whole cancer charity spectrum as a disruptor, someone who looks, feels and talks differently."