A young Auckland father has died following a relentless battle with bowel cancer, after he was diagnosed despite having no symptoms.
Sam Kenny died on January 3 after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer six years ago.
His two children, Maxwell and Lucy, were aged just 3 and 4 at the time of his diagnosis.
Now, his family are pushing for the Government to lower the screening age for bowel cancer, as one in 10 Kiwis diagnosed with the disease are under the age of 50.
His wife, Stacey Kenny, spoke to the Herald in the hope of raising awareness about the importance of early screening.
“[His death] still doesn’t really seem real ... he was really unwell and in a lot of pain. I know he’s resting in peace now, and we miss him so much,” Kenny said.
The couple had been together since they were 21, so the shock diagnosis when he was 38 turned the life they had built upside down.
Doctors first discovered the cancer after he had a colonoscopy done because his cousin had just been diagnosed.
“It was a routine colonoscopy, so we weren’t even expecting anything,” Kenny said.
“Sam had no symptoms, and when he was diagnosed, it was already stage 4.”
From then on, he was in and out of surgeries, chemotherapy, scans and doctors’ appointments.
“Sam was just incredible throughout. He literally maximised every moment of his existence, which is pretty amazing,” Kenny said.
When he first began his battle with cancer, he was running his own interior fit-out business with a friend.
The couple had kept his diagnosis private at first.
“We didn’t actually tell anyone about his diagnosis,” she said.
“A lot of people didn’t know about it for quite a long time. Which was quite remarkable.”
Kenny said her husband did this because he wanted to live life as normally as possible.
“He didn’t want his diagnosis to rule our lives.”
She said he just got on with life, running a business, being a dad, being a husband, and playing golf.
“I’m sure he was petrified at the end to die, but he just rolled with the punches to be honest, because either you wallow in your diagnosis or you just get on with it,” Kenny said.
Kenny said her husband’s diagnosis was “quite scary” because he had none of the typical symptoms.
“The symptoms can be a lot of other things. The signs and symptoms can be just kind of brushed off as IBS or other bowel issues,” she said.
Kenny said other common symptoms people overlook are blood in their stool and severe abdominal pain.
Bowel cancer is the second-highest cause of cancer death in New Zealand, second only to lung cancer.
Bowel Cancer New Zealand said the incidence of bowel cancer in this country is one of the highest in the world, with more than 1200 people dying from it each year.
The National Bowel Screening Programme is offered every two years to people aged 60–74, with the starting age lowering to 58 nationwide from March this year.
Kenny said the New Zealand Government should look to lower this even further to protect people like her husband and his cousin, who were diagnosed in their 30s.
“I think earlier screening [is important] because if you catch it early, it’s more treatable and it’s less costly to the Government overall,” Kenny said.
She said people should push for a colonoscopy at any age if they are concerned, and they should get to know their family history in depth.
Kenny also said she thought there needed to be improved access to drugs and investment in research.
Kenny said she believed her husband lived as long as he did because he wanted to spend as much time as possible with his kids.
“In the initial stages, we just said, ‘Daddy’s unwell and the doctor’s going to fix him’.
“But then we had to be a lot more open about the fact that he’s not going to make it,” she said.
Kenny said she admired her husband’s courage and determination over the years, and added that these qualities, along with his loyalty and “cheeky” side, were passed down to their children.
“He just never gave up. Even when he was really sick ... also he saw humour along the way,” Kenny said.
She said she advised families going through something similar to reach out to charities such as Bowel Cancer New Zealand and the Cancer Society for support.
She said Sam has had a strong support system, including family and his friend Dai Henwood, who went public with his stage 4 cancer diagnosis in January 2023.
She said the pair met on the surgical ward while walking around in their gowns five years ago and had kept in touch since.
“He had all the same medical team as well. So, it was quite good to swap notes for them both,” she said.
Kenny said they wanted to thank Dr Benjamin Lawrence, Associate Professor Adam Bartlett, Dr Anthony Falcov, specialist Arend Merrie, nurse Elsa Baves, Dr Jeffrey Fetherston and all the doctors and nurses at Mercy Hospice for their support.
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