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Cardiff man, 26, given 30pc chance of survival after he 'started limping'

Luke Cowan initially put his symptoms down to a cold

[Luke Cowan was diagnosed with stage four cancer at 26 (Collect/PA Real Life)]

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Luke Cowan was diagnosed with stage four cancer at 26 (Collect/PA Real Life)

A man who was given a 30% chance of survival with his stage 4 cancer diagnosis at 26 said he feels super grateful to be in remission and is now the fittest he has ever been. Luke Cowan, now 32, who works in tech and lives in Cardiff, said his first symptom of a dull ache in the lymph node of his upper inner right thigh started in about June 2020, but he assumed it was a sign of a cold.

Within weeks, however, Luke said his legs swelled and got progressively worse, to the point where he was limping around. He went to A&E in July and was sent home with pain medication. By mid-August, Lukes temperature spiked and he was admitted to hospital, where the lymph node on his thigh was removed for a biopsy.

It was revealed he had cancer, news he said hit really hard, but doctors were not sure what specific type. Lukes condition was stabilised and he was discharged while there were more investigations, but he collapsed at home at the end of September and was taken to an intensive care unit with life-threatening organ failure.

[Luke during cancer treatment (Collect/PA Real Life)]

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Luke during cancer treatment (Collect/PA Real Life)

With no recollection of his time in hospital until October 6, Luke said doctors were able to confirm his stage 4 anaplastic T-cell lymphoma diagnosis and he was taken aback to hear he had a 30% chance of survival. By the point of Lukes near-death experience, he said he had gone from 15 stone to nine and he didnt even recognise himself.

He had eight rounds of chemotherapy, and was told in May 2021 that he was in remission. Luke told PA Real Life: I remember I was walking through town and I got a phone call from my consultant. She said she just wanted to tell me that my Pet scan results came back and I was in remission.

There were so many emotions flowing through me and I didnt know what to say It was just a massive relief. I dont think theres another moment that tops that for me, emotionally. Especially after such a long journey.

[Luke initially thought he had a cold (Collect/PA Real Life)]

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Luke initially thought he had a cold (Collect/PA Real Life)

Before Lukes cancer diagnosis, he said his health and fitness were in a really good place, and he would take part in regular high-intensity interval training workouts and would often go running. He did not think much of pain in his legs from June 2020 onwards, until he said it got progressively worse and worse and his leg became swollen, so he went to A&E in July and was prescribed pain medication.

Luke said the medication had little to no effect, and it got to a point when he was mid-shift at work and he had to go home because he could not walk around, he was in so much pain. After his temperature spiked in mid-August and his lymph node on his right inner thigh was biopsied, Luke remembered what it was like to be told he likely had some form of cancer.

For some reason, I was just completely naive to it all and thought it would be easily fixable, Luke said. So thats where it hit really hard and I started to think it was quite serious.

[Luke wearing a mask (Collect/PA Real Life)]

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Luke wearing a mask (Collect/PA Real Life)

By the end of September, Luke said he passed out while in his bathroom and he remembered waking up and wondering, Why am I on the floor right now?

He was admitted to hospital and said he has no recollection of ending up in intensive care until October 6, when his mother relayed a conversation he had with a doctor the day before. She told her son that his odds when he went into intensive care were not very high and that there was a 70% chance that (cancer) was going to take him. So that was quite stark, Luke said.

I was taken aback The cancer was taking everything from my body.

Luke had to build up his strength including learning to walk again through support from Teenage Cancer Trust, before he could start chemotherapy at the end of October. He had a permanent line fitted to deliver treatment directly into his body, and received eight rounds of chemotherapy that caused side-effects of fatigue, nausea, and vomiting.

[Luke first had symptoms in June 2020 (Collect/PA Real Life)]

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Luke first had symptoms in June 2020 (Collect/PA Real Life)

Chemo was very hard, he said. There was one point during chemo where my Picc line got infected and I actually got shingles as well.

After a Pet scan on May 10, 2021, Luke said he found out four days later that he was in complete remission and he was super grateful and happy about it. By September, Luke said he was back in the gym trying to build everything back and he decided to get into running from 2023 onwards, so he signed up for a Cancer Research UK Race for Life event.

[His health and fitness were in a really good place before his diagnosis (Collect/PA Real Life)]

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His health and fitness were in a really good place before his diagnosis (Collect/PA Real Life)

He has since completed two Cardiff half marathons, the Birmingham Half, and he will take on the upcoming Shoreditch Half in September. Despite near-constant shin splints as he began running and a stress fracture in 2024, Luke said he locked in on it from December 2024 and now fully understands how to correctly fuel his body before races.

He also prioritises recovery with techniques like foam rollers, massage guns, saunas and ice baths. Luke said: Ive been trying so hard to make sure my body is in the best place possible. Im probably the fittest Ive ever been.

[Luke decided to lock in to running in 2023 (Collect/PA Real Life)]

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Luke decided to lock in to running in 2023 (Collect/PA Real Life)

Luke said he would like to work up to doing full marathons, or even ironman challenges and ultramarathons, but he is just trying to beat his personal best half marathon time of one hour and 48 minutes for now. Remembering what it was like to be told he had a 30% chance of survival, Luke said: Whatever struggles youre going through in life, (I want people to know) there can be light at the end of the tunnel.

He added: There were so many times during chemo where I didnt feel it was ever going to end and I wondered if Id ever actually go into remission. But I can tell you there are good things on the other side.

Entries for this years Saucony Run Shoreditch Half have now sold out, but you can register your interest for 2027s race at: https://www.runshoreditch.com/

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