'I had Kim Kardashian buttock surgery after severe burning pain was cancer'
A keen runner who experienced severe pain in his left buttock was told he had bowel cancer - and doctors have managed to sculpt him a brand new bum after removing a large chunk to save his life
After suffering from severe pain in his bottom, one man has now had 'Kim Kardashian' inspired surgery to save his life. Keen runner Andy Spary started experiencing extreme pain in his left buttock, which he initially thought was an abscess.
However, the 39-year-old received the devastating news that it was in fact stage-three bowel cancer. He then underwent surgery where doctors sculpted him a brand new derriere - just like US star Kim Kardashian, who is renowned for her plump behind.
Carpenter Andy, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, suffers from Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease, but said the cancer diagnosis took a while to "sink in". However he's finding positives in his situation by knowing it is treatable, and has got a brand new bum made as doctors needed to remove a large chunk of tissue.
"The diagnosis was a shock and it took a few weeks to really sink in," he explained. "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."
Andy, who is also a former rollerblader, added: "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."
His symptoms began in March 2024 when he went to A&E at Tunbridge Wells Hospital with severe burning pain like an abscess in his left buttock – which was initially put down to a skating injury. However 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.
"They class it as colon cancer but the tumour has branched off of my colon in my buttocks area and is spreading. We're focusing on the positives, which helps, taking it that it's treatable and I can beat it."
Andy had a stoma put in place on July 8 to put the cancerous area of his body out of action and prepare him for chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which he began two months later. However his tumour didn't shrink as much as doctors had hoped, so Andy had a second operation which will hopefully keep him cancer free.
"In an ideal world, if the treatment completely destroyed the tumour then the stoma could be reversed. 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.
"The plan was always to have surgery and end up with a stoma bag for life." 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.
Andy explained: "One surgeon removes the tumour and then the plastic surgeon patches everything up," Andy said. "New bum, new me, all good." It also means the surgery will relieve him from his Crohn's symptoms as the affected area will mostly be removed.
He said running has also helped him to stay strong both physically and mentally. Before his second operation, he would go on runs in between fortnightly chemotherapy sessions when he felt strong enough. This sparked his goal to run the 2026 London Marathon on behalf of Trekstok 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 Trekstok 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.
He has been blown away from the GoFundMe support, making £2,500 in under a week, and hopes to reach £10,000. He is currently recovering from surgery in hospital and hopes to be discharged by the end of May and will have to relearn to walk with the help of physiotherapy before restarting his marathon training by the end of the year.
So far, he has managed to sit up and take his first steps. 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.
He said "Keeping fit and healthy has been my best weapon. 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
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