A STUDLEY man was told repeatedly that he did not have cancer because he was too young, with medics instead diagnosing constipation.

In fact, George Hands, aged just 25, had a tumour growing inside him for just under a year.

Now his family have vowed to raise awareness of the killer disease and funds to support more vital research.

His shock diagnosis came after a year of frequent trips to his GP where he had expressed concerns that he might be suffering with or Crohn’s disease or cancer but this was allegedly dismissed because of his age.

George was finally admitted to Alexandra Hospital with constipation on Monday, March 6.

In two days of examinations and different medicines, cancer was never mentioned with staff allegedly telling the family he was "too young" to have a serious bowel condition.

They also said there was "nothing to worry about" and that they might even send George home.

On the third day in hospital, a doctor examined George using a camera and found the tumour.

Doctors told the family the cancer is normally seen in much older patients, with one medic stating the youngest patient with bowel cancer they had ever treated was in their 40s.

His fiancée Claire Vipond said: "It was upsetting that it had been growing for a long time but no one is to blame. The GP did all they could do at their level.

"We are heartbroken from the situation that George is in but we are staying positive together as a team and as a family and we know he will smash this.

"We want to raise funds for current and future research for Bowel Cancer UK and we want to raise as much awareness as we can.

"Age is just a number, and just because of your age you should never brush off your concerns you know your own body."

George did not display the usual symptoms for bowel cancer, instead suffering constipation and stomach cramps.

He now has a colostomy bag and is due to start radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

The family set up a Just Giving page on Sunday, March 19, in aid of Bowel Cancer UK, and £1,000 was raised in its first two hours. It now stands at more than £3,550.

Claire added: "We want to thank everyone for their support so far it really is amazing, you don't realise how much you are loved, cared and thought about until you get into a bad situation but everyone has been fantastic."

To make a donation go to justgiving.com/fundraising/George-Hands25.

For more information about the family’s fundraising events visit facebook.com/georgehandscharityfundraising.