A Journey of Strength and Survival

A blog by Pete Webester:

Hello, my name is Pete Webster, I am a Personal Trainer (PT). Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

I was 49 years of age, working as a personal trainer in a gym. I’d just finished teaching a class at my work gym, and my phone rang. The Doctor said the words ‘malignant tumour in your left kidney’, and I had to ask him to repeat himself. I became worried and, in truth, wasn’t sure what ‘malignant’ meant.

Despite several weeks of intensive, and at times invasive, tests, it had simply never crossed my mind that the outcome would be a cancer diagnosis. I suppose, until that moment, I’d always believed cancer was something that happened to other people, I thought I was indestructible. 

The solitary, and one-off, symptom of my kidney (renal) cancer was thick, red blood in my urine one morning in late June 2023.

My wife, Holly, happened to be in the bathroom at the time and insisted I call the GP immediately. Had she not done that, I don’t think I would’ve completely dismissed it, but I may have delayed getting it checked out which could have had very serious consequences.

I arranged to see my GP, and they took bloods before referring me for tests which included an ultrasound, a CT scan and a cystoscopy, where a camera is inserted into the urethra under local anaesthetic. 

Even then, cancer wasn’t on my radar, I felt completely normal. I hadn’t passed blood again and thought it would end up being something innocuous and felt I didn’t want to cause drama or upset anyone if it all turned out to be nothing.

After receiving the shocking news I had stage 2b Chromophobe kidney cancer – I had to tell my family. I knew I was about to turn their world upside down, it was a terrible feeling. 

In mid-August 2023, I underwent surgery at Guy’s Hospital, London, to have my left kidney removed. My surgeon assured me I could lead a normal life with just one, which was a relief. Whether or not I would need chemotherapy depended on if the cancer had remained contained to the kidney, or not. I spent three nights in hospital after surgery. 

I was very weak, tired and sore, and for someone as active as me, that was really hard.

I was determined to get back to normal as quickly as possible, and as soon as I was able to, I’d be out for short walks with our dog Buddy, a border collie, to build up my strength and stamina.

Gradually, these dog walks got longer, my body grew stronger and I felt more like me. 

My PT mindset definitely helped me, progressively working at form, technique and strength. All the while addressing my diet by cutting out salt and no longer drinking alcohol, to help my remaining kidney function as well as possible

Fortunately, despite the surgeon describing the tumour as “large and angry”, my cancer hasn’t spread beyond my left kidney, and no further treatment was required, other than biannual CT scans. 

Life after cancer is like waking up in a parallel universe. Everything and everyone looks the same, but I am different. I know now nobody is invincible, cancer can touch anyone. I’ve been changed by what I’ve been through.

I’ve been having counselling, which is helping me to look forward, not dwell on what happened, and getting back to work is a great distraction too.

Seeking out positivity after such a difficult time has seen me set out on a year of fundraising for good causes.

I’ve been undertaking a different challenge each month of 2024, including shaving my head, a 10k of walking lunges, community classes and running a half marathon.

I turned 50 in March, and when you’ve been confronted with your own mortality milestone birthdays take on a different significance. I wanted to do something meaningful, and not just throw a party.

The massive twist to this story is due to my experience, it motivated my wife to book a full body scan, which had been on her mind even before my diagnosis. 

This scan revealed breast cancer, resulting in an operation, radiotherapy and ongoing cancer treatment, which has been tough. 

We have both been incredibly lucky. If both diagnoses had been left any longer, our prognosis could have been very different. 

Ultimately, we have all been through a lot as a family, but we are pleased this has been addressed, we feel stronger for it and happy to be alive with a positive outlook!

 

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