Sidney Raz, known for his popular ‘Life Hacks’ series, learned he had stomach cancer despite having no symptoms
Content creator Sidney Raz, known for his popular “Life Hacks” series, shared that he was diagnosed with stomach cancer despite not having any symptoms
The cancer was detected after he underwent genetic testing to learn more about why his daughter died in utero
He will now undergo a gastrectomy — the removal of his stomach
After losing his daughter in utero, a man was diagnosed with stomach cancer — years before it would have been detected — due to an abnormality found in the genetic tests done following her death.
Content creator Sidney Raz, known for his popular “Life Hacks” series and the book Life Hacks, Tips & Tricks, shared that his daughter died in utero at 26 weeks from holoprosencephaly, a birth defect where the brain doesn’t form properly. Following her death, he and his wife underwent genetic testing to determine what might have gone wrong with the pregnancy.
While there was no definitive answer as to what caused the holoprosencephaly, Raz said that she had a genetic deletion that can cause stomach cancer. He scheduled an endoscopy. In a TikTok video, shared that “out of 36 biopsies taken, only one of them showed cancer.”
@sidneyraz how do i eat without a stomach?
As Raz shared in a later update, he would need to have his stomach removed. “You can just do that, and then keep going, apparently,” he said. “Total [removal], no more stomach, no more tummy.”
The cancer was caught at an early enough stage where “taking out my stomach is the best course of action,” Raz said. “The doctor said something crazy today,” he continued. “The doctor said today that if I hadn’t caught it this early, I will be back within three years at stage 3 or 4 cancer.”
Recommended Article
“So I might not have a stomach, but I’ll be here in three to four years.”
The way the operation works, Raz explained, is that his esophagus will be attached to his intestines. “You can live a healthy, normal life without a stomach,” the Cleveland Clinic explains. However, following the surgery — called a gastrectomy — changes in diet and activity need to be made as the body adjusts.
Smaller, more frequent meals are recommended, along with vitamins and supplements.
“I just have to chew a lot more, and retrain my body how to eat, so I can’t eat as much,” Raz explained. “It’s gonna be a big adjustment. But I don’t want cancer.”
The genetic test was the only sign Raz was ill, he shared.
“I had no symptoms,” Raz explained in a video. “It was literally just my daughter’s DNA that saved my life — and now there can be a path forward.”
