Runner whose bum pain led to buttock removal after shock cancer diagnosis ‘hopes for Kim Kardashian-style replacement’

A runner whose pain in his bottom led to a life-changing cancer diagnosis has joked he hoped for a Kim Kardashian-inspired replacement after surgeons sculpted him a new buttock.

Carpenter Andy Spary, 39, started experiencing extreme pain in his left buttock last year before a devastating stage three bowel cancer diagnosis, which means doctors need to remove “a big chunk of his bum”.

Despite the seriousness of the operation, Andy and his wife Amy, 35, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, are finding positives in that his cancer is treatable and could come with a new look after planned surgery because doctors used nearby tissue to sculpt him a new buttock.

“The diagnosis was a shock and it took a few weeks to really sink in,” he told PA Real Life.

“I had a feeling something was not right but you’re never really prepared for news like that.

“My wife has been joking that we should get a catalogue to choose from.

“I joked that it should be a voluptuous number which might be good for bouncing off when I fall on my skates – Kim Kardashian’s name got thrown around a lot.”

An MRI scan followed by a biopsy revealed a tumour in the tract off his colon and doctors diagnosed him with stage three bowel cancer on June 14 2024.

This was linked to his existing Crohn’s disease, which causes chronic inflammation and swelling in the digestive tract and can lead to abnormal cell growth.

“They class it as colon cancer but the tumour has branched off of my colon in my buttocks area and is spreading,” Andy said.

On July 8, Andy had a stoma put in place to put the cancerous area of his body out of action and prepare him for chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which he began two months later.

But the tumour did not shrink as much as doctors had hoped so Andy had a second operation on May 21 which will hopefully leave him cancer-free with his stoma still in place.

“In an ideal world, if the treatment completely destroyed the tumour then the stoma could be reversed,” he said.

“But realistically I think this is rare and if they could’ve shrunk the tumour down as much as possible it meant they wouldn’t have to take out as big of a chunk of my bum.

On May 21, doctors removed the remaining section of Andy’s colon, including what was left of his tumour.

A plastic surgeon then carried out laparoscopic elape surgery to repair his pelvic floor and reconstruct his bottom using tissue from the area.

“One surgeon removes the tumour and then the plastic surgeon patches everything up,” Andy said.

Another advantage to the operation is that it is likely to relieve him of his Crohn’s symptoms because the affected area will mostly be removed.

Andy’s passion for rollerblading has landed him in hospital many times and he said is “no stranger to surgery”.

He said running has also helped him to stay strong both physically and mentally.

This sparked his goal to run the 2026 London Marathon on behalf of Trekstock for which he has so far raised more than £3,350 on GoFundMe.

“During my process battling this, I feel I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have had my wife and my parents to support me,” Andy said.

“But a lot of people might not have that support and Trekstock helps young people who feel they have their whole life planned out for them and then something like this happens without a support system around them.

“I’ve been blown away by the GoFundMe support, making £2,500 in under a week and it’s still going.

Andy is currently recovering from surgery in hospital and hopes to be discharged by the end of May.

He will have to relearn to walk with the help of physiotherapy before restarting his marathon training by the end of the year.

He said doctors are confident the surgery was a success but he will have to wait at least one month for a scan to confirm whether he is cancer-free.

“Keeping fit and healthy has been my best weapon,” Andy said.

“Having the goal of running my first marathon next year – stoma bag and all – is my motivation to stay positive and keep going.

“After this process, I’ll be back on my feet, stronger and fitter with no more Crohn’s and no more cancer, sorted.”

– A link to Andy’s GoFundMe page can be found at:  gofundme.com/f/2026-london-marathon-fundraiser-for-trekstock