DJ says he dismissed recurring diarrhoea before advanced bowel cancer diagnosis
He has since raised £4,300 for Macmillan and OutPatients through a queer club night called the Silly Bowel Disco
By Callum Wells
A 42-year-old DJ who suffered diarrhoea for two weeks every month was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer after initially putting his symptoms down to late nights and dodgy food.
Daniel Edwards, from south-west London, had experienced the problem for around three years before his diagnosis in October 2024. He assumed it was linked to his lifestyle or irritable bowel syndrome.
“There was always just an explanation for my symptoms – I thought it was from a late night, a dodgy kebab or irritable bowel syndrome. I wasn’t ignoring it,” he said, according to MailOnline.
“I thought I was about to experience what would have been the most embarrassing moment of my life” – Daniel Edwards on his advanced bowel cancer symptoms
The seriousness of the problem became apparent in August 2024, when Edwards was DJing on a float at Brighton Pride.
“But when I was DJing on a float during Pride, I thought I was about to experience what would have been the most embarrassing moment of my life.”
He began experiencing breathlessness the following month. While on holiday, Edwards saw a photograph of himself and realised he looked unwell. He then booked an appointment with his GP.
After returning home, he underwent several tests, including a colonoscopy, CT scan and blood tests. Doctors found a 10cm tumour in his right colon, which had grown into the duodenum and spread to nearby lymph nodes.
After recovering, Edwards underwent surgery in March 2025
He was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer on 29 October 2024. The tumour was initially considered inoperable.
“I felt like the air had just been sucked out of me,” he recalled. “When I got that call I knew it was going to be something significant like cancer.”
Edwards began immunotherapy in November. The treatment caused pneumonitis, an inflammation of the lungs, and he was prescribed steroids. The medication resulted in psychosis and delusions.
“It sent me absolutely crazy,” he remembered.
After recovering, Edwards underwent surgery in March 2025. Surgeons removed the tumour along with affected bowel tissue and 51 lymph nodes.
Edwards now has regular blood tests and scans, as well as an annual colonoscopy
By April, he had been told there was no evidence of remaining cancer.
“It felt like the most surreal moment ever,” he said.
“I remember being in floods of tears, and my support worker saying to me, ‘Dan, you were inoperable, and look at where you are now.’”
Edwards now has regular blood tests and scans, as well as an annual colonoscopy, to monitor for signs of the cancer returning.
“It was my way of putting my middle finger up to cancer” – Edwards
He has since raised £4,300 for Macmillan and OutPatients through a queer club night called the Silly Bowel Disco.
“It was my way of putting my middle finger up to cancer – we did it in a camp and fabulous way,” he said.
“We had drag queens, symptoms to look out for on the back of toilet doors in glitter.”
He added: “Talking about our bums and poo can be hard and embarrassing for a lot of us, and I don’t think we talk enough about cancer in the LGBTQ+ community.”
What are the symptoms of bowel cancer?
Bowel cancer can cause persistent changes to bowel habits, blood in the stool, abdominal pain, bloating, unexplained weight loss and tiredness. Anyone experiencing persistent or unusual changes should speak to their GP.