Kidney cancer: Wrestler wants health battle to raise awareness

When Adil Malik was 25, his life was turned upside down after being diagnosed with kidney cancer.

But three years on, the professional wrestler has won his fight and turned his personal battle into a documentary to help others.

"No 25-year-old should have to go through this, once you hear the big 'C' word you think the worst," he says.

Around a third of new cases in the UK are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over, according to Cancer Research UK.

Adil was vlogging his fitness journey three years ago when he discovered he was losing his appetite.

He says it soon after this that he also noticed blood in his urine.

"I was eating six meals a day, slowly it went down to five, four, three, two a day," he tells BBC Asian Network.

"It should have raised alarm bells, but I left it for a month thinking it would clear up on its own."

Fearing the worst, Adil eventually went to the doctors and was quickly referred to a specialist who diagnosed him with stage three renal cell carcinoma - the most common type of kidney cancer.

Adil, from east London, says he broke down after the diagnosis but feels his resilience and faith gave him determination to "overcome it".

He decided to document his journey, filming the highs and lows, which included a nephrectomy - the removal of a kidney.

Adil then turned that into a documentary called Wrestling with Cancer which he wants to act as a warning for other young people to never ignore abnormalities in their bodies.

And he says he's motivated by raising awareness in ethnic minority communities such as his, where he feels there "is a reluctance to get checked out" when it comes to serious medical issues.

"There's a stigma with diseases like cancer, people just want to forget about it," he says.

The film, which also features other young people who've had cancer, has been shown at different film festivals around the world, including in Orlando, Valencia and Lisbon.

Adil hopes there will be greater education around the subject and wants the documentary to inform people about kidney cancer.

"Know your body is normal and don't be afraid to get yourself checked out," he says.

Adil is now back fighting fit and performing his pro wrestling moves in the ring.

"I've managed to get ring ready again," he says.

"Nothing was ever going to stop me from wrestling."

If you, or someone you know, have been affected by cancer, you can visit BBC Action Line for help and support.

Often there are no obvious symptoms and it's usually diagnosed when testing for something else. But they can include:

Source: NHS

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