Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 129, April 2020 | Page 22

ROAD RUNNING
Sean and wife Naadia
after a race in 2018
My Road to Recovery
My name is Sean Luzmore, and I was diagnosed with colon cancer on 26 February 2019. This is my story, from diagnosis
through treatment to being ready to run again, which I hope will bring awareness to all people and those suffering with cancer.
During the three years of these symptoms, I had taken
Movicol every day, which aided in the smooth transfer
of bowel movements. My wife even mentioned she
thought that this is where my problem would lie in
future if I did not get it sorted out, and later she said it
always remained at the back of her mind…
Something Seriously Wrong
In November 2018, I started experiencing
more intense cramps in my abdomen. Then on
30 December, my wife and I joined friends at
Kirstenbosch for a Festive Season celebration, and I
could not have any snacks as I had intense cramps.
During January 2019, I visited a general practitioner
and was told I had all the symptoms which indicated
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
I
am 45 years of age, born and raised in Cape Town
and had a normal childhood. I have a sister and
both my loving parents are thankfully still alive to
have seen me through this year. Growing up, I loved
playing rugby and enjoyed surfing, then discovered a
love for running when I was 28 years old, and to date
I have completed many half marathons and one full
marathon.
I would say that during the last three years of active
sport, from 2015 to 2018, I could feel a decline
in my energy levels, but I did not take the time to
become aware of my body’s warning signs. I have a
photograph of a half marathon I completed on 1 May
2015 with my wife Naadia and my brother in-law Iain
Purchase. I remember not feeling great at all on this
run, and this may have been the build-up to what was
to come.
I could not reach my goal weight that I achieved while
running at my peak a few years earlier. I always felt
bloated and dizzy, and looked rather pale when my
wife and I went for runs. I would have to stop for a few
minutes, as I would feel so exhausted and suffered
with cramps.
22
My wife and I changed my eating plan, but the cramps
continued and I started vomiting excessively. This
carried on for about two weeks and my wife took me
to the emergency unit at a hospital in the area. The
doctor who saw me quickly diagnosed me with severe
gastroenteritis. At that point in time there was a lot of
confusion, as there was a bug going around.
The Shocking News
Thankfully I was admitted at Kingsbury at midnight
and many tests were done, the first being an
endoscopy, a procedure to diagnose and treat
problems in your gastrointestinal tract. They then
proceeded to do an ultrasound, as my intestines were
too inflamed. It was discovered that my gall bladder
was fatty and this could have been the answer to my
problem, but my surgeon was still not convinced and
scheduled a CT scan. This scan picked up that I had a
tumour blocking an area of my descending colon.
The tumour blocked most of the intestine and that is
why I could not keep anything I ingested down. The
surgeon informed us that I will need an operation
the next day to remove the tumour and part of the
colon. My wife and I were in shock and I think we just
nodded in silence to everything the surgeon explained
to us. The minute the surgeon walked out of the room,
Naadia Takes up the Story…
I felt extremely frustrated, as the doctor who saw
Sean would hardly acknowledge what I was saying
to her about what had been happening. Sean was
released that same evening, and the doctor suggested
that we visit the specialist physician that Monday
morning. He confirmed that it was gastroenteritis, and
what bothered me even more was the fact that he
prescribed the very same medication that the previous
doctor suggested.
A week went by and Sean continued to vomit
violently – everything he ate or drank came back up. I
remember that Friday night, he started vomiting from
about 9pm and this continued well into the morning.
He slept the entire Saturday and by the Sunday early
evening, I asked him if we should just go to Kingsbury
Hospital. I thought he would respond with “I just
need to give it time and rest,” but he agreed and I felt
some relief, as the cramps, vomiting and sleepless
ISSUE 129 APRIL 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za
The problem became
apparent at the Safari
Half in May 2018
Sean at speed in
the early 2000s
nights had carried on for a few weeks. The pain Sean
experienced was heart-breaking!