A professional MMA fighter who was diagnosed with testicular cancer said he "tried everything" to fight it naturally so he could one day become a dad.
Aaron Aby was diagnosed with the aggressive disease after experiencing chronic pain in his groin and his back, during a fight.
The then 27-year-old went to Wrexham hospital’s accident and emergency unit, where he was initially diagnosed with an infection and given antibiotics.
But when the pain persisted he went back to hospital for an ultrasound and was given the devastating prognosis he had stage three testicular cancer.
Aron, who was diagnosed in 2017, told the ECHO: “I had the symptoms in the build-up to my last fight.
"I wasn’t sure if it was stress-related or whether it was a body shot or a low blow.
“I had pain in my testicle and pain in my back.”
Before his diagnosis, Aaron, who also has cystic fibrosis, was on a three-fight winning streak and making real headway on the UK mixed martial arts scene.
And even in the time between the scan and being told the shocking news he had cancer, he still managed to compete and win his fight.
However the severity of his diagnosis hit home when Aron was told he had only three to six months to live.
At first the now 29-year-old said he was resistant to the idea of having chemotherapy.
He said: “Because the treatment would stop me being a dad, I rejected chemotherapy as I wanted to fight it naturally.
“I tried everything I could to beat it naturally, such as CBD and juicing, but the cancer just kept getting worse, and then it went to my stomach.
“They told me I had about three to six months left to live.”
Aaron’s mum and his girlfriend Hayley broke down at the news, pushing him to try chemotherapy despite the potential side effects.
He said: “When I decided to have the chemo, that’s when I was like ‘right, I’m just going to fight through this as hard as I can’.”
Aaron had two operations to remove his cancer, the first on a 15cm tumour in his stomach - surgery he didn't think he would survive.
The second operation was at Broadgreen Hospital in Liverpool.
Due to the risk that general anaesthetic posed to his lungs because of his cystic fibrosis, he had to have his testicle removed under local anaesthetic.
Aaron said: “I think maybe you’re not born tough. Life experiences make you tough and I’ve gone through so many experiences throughout my life, but this was the biggest challenge I have ever had to face physically and mentally.”
Two years on and against all the odds, Aaron is now cancer-free and ready to have his comeback fight next month.
He is also in regular contact with other people living with cancer, and he hopes his own story will inspire others.
Jason Tan, Aaron’s coach and owner of the MMA Academy in Liverpool, said: “I’m happy to see him return because I know that’s what he wants to do, it’s his calling in life.
“To see everything he’s been through, it’s incredible to watch. He is like a real-life Superman.”
Aaron’s fight will be against Daryl Grant, at the Imperial Banqueting Suite, Preston, on December 7.
