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Daniel Loach, 47, from Stafford, features in the Channel 5 series ‘Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death’, filmed at University Hospitals Birmingham. We spoke to Daniel to find out more about his experience in the aftermath of his episode airing.

“In July last year, following a visit to A&E, I was told I had serious stage 3 kidney cancer. I thought ‘this is it’. The timing was especially cruel. My wife and I had not long finished paying off our mortgage and we were looking forward to a family holiday with our daughters and my in-laws. When they said the words, I just turned to my wife and said, ‘I’m sorry’. We had so many plans. 

“The diagnosis came about in probably quite an unusual way. I work in car body paintwork and it’s a very manual job where I’m on my feet all day. I had a varicose vein on my right leg that was very prominent and had started to feel painful. I went to the doctor and they referred me to a hospital in Stafford, where I was given keyhole surgery to strip the vein.  

“It took a couple of days for my leg to recover, but to my surprise my back then started hurting. I remember doing four days of work feeling immense pain – so much so it felt like a bit of a blur. I went to the GP and they sent me to A&E, where I was given the bad news.  

“I was referred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, where following a week of scans and tests, it was found that the kidney cancer had grown up my inferior vena cava – the main vein that takes blood back to the heart. I was told my body was trying to overcompensate for the blockage by ‘re-rooting’ my blood supply, causing swelling of the legs and varicose vein. When the vein was stripped, it interrupted what my body was trying to do, causing the other symptoms.  

“I remember saying during the tests ‘It’s my daughter’s birthday – am I allowed to have a pint to celebrate?’. It made the nurses laugh. After the tests everything moved really quickly. I don’t think I understood how major the operation was going to be until my consultant told me they would have to open up my chest to access the blockage in the main vein. Cardiac surgery, whilst also having my kidney removed. My wife knew the full extent of it, but I tried to play it down to the rest of my family. My dad had a bit of a shock when I brought him along to my appointment with the anaesthetist! 

“After the surgery I spent a couple of days in critical care, before being moved to the cardiology ward. I was grateful to have my own room – I was in a lot of pain and thought I’d be in hospital for ages. The pain medication worked and in just three days I was walking around. I couldn’t believe it. I remember one of the nurses on the ward saying ‘you’ll feel much better in six weeks’ and she was absolutely right. Like clockwork, six weeks on, I did.  

“I can’t stress enough how fantastic the people looking after me in the hospital were. They communicated so clearly with me. They also kept me going in other ways – I remember one of the ward staff’s glasses had broken and she asked a few of us if anyone could help her fix them. It was music to my ears – I needed something manual to do! I managed to fix them with some dental floss. I’m proud of myself too, I was determined to do everything I was told would aid my recovery and wanted to meet every milestone. I think my positive mental attitude played a big part in how well I have recovered. 

“The operation was late August and I went back to work in December, albeit on reduced hours. I struggled a bit with it being so physical, so Christmas was a nice break. I’m feeling stronger now and am currently doing immunotherapy to reduce the risk of the cancer returning.  

“We’ve got a few holidays to look forward to this year, including a trip to Croyde, where my wife and I spent our honeymoon. We’re also going to spend more time visiting my eldest daughter, who is at university in Lancaster. I think what we’ve been through has given both my wife and I a ‘let’s just do it’ attitude. 

“When I first returned to work, one of my workmates said: ‘You’ve survived cancer...every day is a great day!’ and I couldn’t agree more.” 

Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death airs weekly on Wednesdays at 9pm and is available on catch up via My5.