‘Fit and healthy’ man, 39, in ‘disbelief’ following stage 4 cancer diagnosis after doctors dismissed ‘vague’ symptom
Wylie Dixon says doctors failed to diagnose his cancer for two years
Niamh Shackleton
A man who was suffering from a 'vague' symptom went on to be diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.
39-year-old Wylie Dixon got the shock of his life when he received the news that he had appendix cancer - a rare type of cancer that only 3,000 people are diagnosed with every year in the United States.
Not only did Wylie have an aggressive form of appendix cancer, but it had also 'spread throughout his body' by the time doctors found it.
Sadly, there's been a rise in cases in people below the age of 50 receiving the devastating diagnosis, as per a study released earlier this year.
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Speaking about their findings, lead author Andreana Holowatyj, PhD, MSCI, assistant professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, said: "When you take these alarming rates that we are seeing for appendiceal cancer across generations, together with the fact that one in every three patients diagnosed with appendiceal cancer is diagnosed under the age of 50, these point to a timely need for everyone to be aware of the signs and symptoms of appendix cancer."
Abdominal pain, bloating, changes in bowel habits, and loss of appetite are common symptoms of the rare cancer. It wasn't until Wylie developed these that he was rushed to the emergency room at his home in Cairns, Far North Queensland, Australia.
But before then he'd been suffering with fatigue for months, but this sign was said to be too 'vague' for doctors to pinpoint that he had cancer.
Discussing how he'd been feeling before his shock diagnosis, Wylie told Femail: "I was in disbelief as I'd never heard of the cancer before... I wasn't someone who had scheduled health check-ups but I went to the doctor often when something would arise.
"I was fit and healthy, not overweight. I was very active and walking 10,000 to 20,000 steps per day was normal for me at work."
Wylie continued: "I didn't have any major symptoms besides fatigue. That's the problem with this cancer, everything was vague and didn't persist, besides the fatigue."
According to Wylie, his doctors failed to diagnose him for two years. It wasn't until August 2024 that he received the devastating news that he had cancer.
Now Wylie and his wife Ked have relocated from Cairns to Sydney to be closer to where he's receiving his life-saving treatment.
The couple quit their jobs to move to the city and are living in temporary accommodation. With this in mind, someone has created a GoFundMe page to help them pay their way through this difficult time in their lives.
They're hoping to raise $22,000 AUD and, so far, people have donated over $21,000 AUD.
You can donate to the page here.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.