A man who “cried” when his doctor diagnosed him with cancer is sharing the warning signs he wish he hadn’t ignored – and the key thing he is now doing differently.
When Jon Imondi first started feeling constantly exhausted, he thought it was due to stress.
He put off visiting the doctor until his partner Vicky, 43, “forced” him to book an appointment.
The 43-year-old was shocked as doctors diagnosed him with stage three bowel cancer.
“I felt completely drained, was waking up with my bed soaked through and getting up a lot in the night to go to the toilet,” the IT Engineer, from Worcester, told Need To Know.
“I also had a bad chest infection in the weeks leading up to my diagnosis and noticed blood in the toilet – but dismissed this.
“Yet, cancer never even crossed my mind.
“I blamed stress, unhappiness and just struggling with life in general.
“There was no fear, because I was living in a bubble of ignorant bliss.
“It was a stupid decision not to get the first warning sign checked out.
“When they told me that it was cancer, I immediately cried, as it felt like my whole world had collapsed.
“At this point, it wasn’t clear how far the cancer had spread, but the tumour had started to perforate my bowel.”
Jon believes that his diet was a big factor in his poor health.
He would often eat crisps and other unhealthy snacks, such as pizza or beige foods with little nutritional value.
There are studies which show that processed red meats and fatty foods are associated with increased risk of bowel cancer.
Since being diagnosed, Jon has overhauled his diet in the hope that it will aid his recovery and future health.
He said: “It’s my belief that if you go through cancer and don’t ‘learn’ something, then you’ve completely missed the point.
“I knew that I needed to treat myself and my body in the way I would treat my loved ones – with kindness, compassion and understanding.
“I’m not sure if my lifestyle and changed diet now will keep cancer at bay.
“I hope so and believe so to my very core.”
As for treatment, doctors gave Jon two options – remove his entire colon or have a left hemicolectomy, which involved cutting out the section of the colon affected by the tumour and reattaching it.
Both options posed significant life-long risks.
Jon chose the hemicolectomy but also doubled down on his dietary changes.
He opted for fibrous, nutritious options with soya milk with berries, flax seed, cinnamon, chia seeds and nuts for breakfast.
At lunch, he had a bowl of raw broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage, red peppers, kale, spinach, sauerkraut, leeks, avocado, seeds, turmeric and black garlic.
And dinner would be fully vegan – alongside a carrot, lemon, ginger and beetroot juice.
He consumed this each day for the next six months and believes being healthy assisted in his recovery after surgery.
Jon said: “People were shocked, as they expected to see me looking gaunt or wandering around with a drip attached to me.
“Instead, I looked healthy, my eyes were bright blue and I was alive in every sense of the word.
“We really need to look at disease prevention instead of [just] treatment.
“Cut out junk, processed foods and replace them with colourful ones, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, beans and pulses.
“We’re living in a world that’s focused on fixing the problem and not treating the cause.”
Currently, Jon is cancer-free but regularly goes for check-ups.
He has started to grow his own vegetables and has stopped using non-stick cookware and opts for steel or cast iron.
As part of his new outlook on life, Jon is also training to become a therapist and shares his journey on his YouTube, Jon Imondi, to help others.
He added: “A car accident, or a brush with cancer, can come at any time and knock us off our feet.
“We’re mortal but we have more of a say in our health than we realise.
“I don’t believe cancer is a battle to be won or lost – it was a part of me – and after it went, I genuinely grieved that loss.
“Trust your gut instinct and intuition.
“Don’t overthink it or dismiss symptoms, always get it checked out.”
