A Father's Unexpected Diagnosis: Kidney Cancer After Back Pain
Paul Souter, a 43-year-old father-of-three from Essex, received life-altering news shortly after celebrating his 40th birthday. What began as intermittent lower back pain, initially treated with acupuncture and sports massages, culminated in a diagnosis of kidney cancer following a debilitating back spasm that prompted a scan.
"I enjoy playing golf and football and have always been quite active, but there would just be days where I couldn’t do anything because my back was hurting so much," Paul explained. The pain became so severe one day that he experienced a back spasm and was unable to get off the floor, leading him to seek medical investigation.
The Alarming Phone Call During a Birthday Celebration
Paul, who works as a project director for a building company in Essex, was out celebrating his milestone birthday with his wife Kerry and friends at the Ivy Asia in London when he received a crucial phone call about his scan results. "We knew the call was coming through, so went into a private room and the doctor said ‘your back actually looks okay, it’s just wear and tear, but I can see something on your kidney that doesn’t look right, and you just need to go and get it checked out’," he shared.
This moment highlights a broader trend identified by Kidney Cancer UK's Patient Survey 2025, which found that more than half of patients (54%) were diagnosed incidentally during scans for other conditions, rather than through proactive checks.
Facing the Diagnosis and Surgical Decisions
On March 2, 2022, Paul was formally diagnosed with kidney cancer. "When you hear the word cancer, there’s nothing that can prepare you for it," he said, recalling how he "blacked out" during the appointment. His wife's presence was crucial, as she listened to the details while he processed the shock.
Although the two-centimetre tumour in his left kidney was slow-growing, medical advice urged treatment to prevent spread. Further investigation revealed arteries wrapped around the tumour, complicating potential surgery. "When we saw a specialist in Watford he said if we did a partial nephrectomy [which cuts out the tumour] and if my arteries got caught during the operation, then I would bleed out in minutes," Paul recounted. Consequently, he opted for a total nephrectomy to remove the entire kidney.
Breaking the News to Family and the Path to Recovery
One of the most challenging aspects was informing his family, particularly his eldest son Jaiden, who was studying for his GCSEs at the time. "We sat in the garden with him and told him that I was going in for an operation and reassured him that I would come back home," Paul said, describing it as a heart-breaking conversation. His younger children, Archie and Belle, were told in simpler terms to shield them from the full gravity of the situation.
Less than eight weeks after diagnosis, Paul underwent surgery on April 29 to remove his kidney. Despite concerns about rising blood pressure during the procedure, he returned home within days, determined to maintain normalcy for his children. "I didn’t want the kids to come home from school and see me lying in bed looking ill, so when they came back I sat downstairs at the dining table and tried to make it as normal as possible," he stated.
The Role of Walking and Counselling in Healing
Paul's recovery was significantly aided by walking and counselling, which he initially resisted but later embraced. "Kidney Cancer UK was absolutely brilliant, the counselling they provided was incredible," he praised. He combined counselling sessions with walks, starting around his house and garden, gradually increasing the distance. "Being out in the fresh air gave me time to think and digest what I’d been through," he reflected, noting that walking became a therapeutic outlet.
Charity Walks and Personal Milestones
Driven to prove his resilience and support Kidney Cancer UK, Paul completed an Ultra Challenges Winter Walk in London—a marathon-length event—just nine months post-surgery. "I wanted to do something to prove that I could do something, and to prove that my body was capable," he explained. The 26-mile walk, starting at The Oval Cricket Ground, raised around £2,500 and garnered immense support from his community.
This achievement held deep personal significance, as it was the last time Paul saw his father before he passed away at age 65 from a blood clot. "Within less than a year, I had been diagnosed with cancer, had surgery on my kidney, had completed the walk challenge and lost my dad," he shared, underscoring the emotional toll of that period.
Ongoing Recovery and Future Challenges
Even after being given the all-clear in spring 2025 and requiring yearly scans, Paul acknowledges that the shock of his experience lingers. "We are still processing it every single day to be honest," he admitted. "It’s still such a shock. Even to look back now at everything I’ve been through, it just still seems really surreal." He experiences both good and bad days mentally, sometimes getting lost in thought but striving to move forward.
Since his initial charity walk, Paul has undertaken four more and plans to continue, with ambitions like The Three Peaks challenge and a marathon once he is physically ready. "Doing these endurance challenges has given me something positive to focus on and has helped connect me with like-minded people who have been through similar experiences," he concluded, highlighting how these activities have fostered a sense of community and purpose in his ongoing journey.
