A 'miracle' testicular cancer survivor tried to beat the disease with CBD and a juice diet until he was told he had just months to live.
Aaron Aby said he wanted to fight it "naturally" and avoid chemotherapy at all costs because the treatment would prevent him from becoming a dad one day.
But the cancer worsened and spread to his stomach, forcing the Liverpool-trained MMA fighter to change his mind and fight for his life after he was told he only had another three to six months.
Mr Aby underwent chemotherapy and two operations and - against all odds - is now cancer-free and preparing for his comeback fight, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Hailed as a "real-life Superman", the 29-year-old, who also has cystic fibrosis, 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.
“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’.”
Mr Aby, from Wrexham, North Wales, added: “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.”
Mr Aby was 27 when he was diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer in 2017 after suffering chronic pain in his groin and his back during a fight.
He was initially diagnosed with an infection and given antibiotics, but the pain continued and he went back to the hospital, where an ultrasound detected the disease.
He said: “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.”
At the time of his diagnosis, he had won three fights in a row, including one bout that took place between the scan the diagnosis.
Later, after being told he was just months away from dying - grim news that left his mum and girlfriend Hayley in tears - he decided to give chemotherapy a go despite the potential side effects.
He underwent two operations, the first of which to remove a 15cm tumour in his stomach.
Mr Aby feared he would die on the operating table as he went under the knife the first time.
During the second surgery he had to have one of his testicles removed under local anaesthetic because general anaesthetic posed a risk to his lungs because of his cystic fibrosis.
Now cancer-free and preparing for his comeback fight on December 7, Mr Aby is hoping to inspire others.
Mr Aby's coach, Jason Tan, who owns Liverpool's MMA Academy, 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.”
