What happened, in summary

This patient was diagnosed with stomach cancer in July 2005, the day before his 33rd birthday, after chest tightness and difficulty swallowing led him to the emergency room. Doctors found a tumor at the junction of his stomach and esophagus.

During surgery, the team found that the cancer had spread. Part of his stomach and half of his esophagus were removed, but the reconstructed connection repeatedly leaked over the following years and required further operations. After two serious brain infections linked to the leak, he underwent another major operation that removed the rest of his stomach and esophagus and used part of his jejunum to reconstruct the digestive tract.

He later described his quality of life as better without a stomach than it had been with the earlier reconstruction. He could eat most foods in smaller amounts and used his experience to teach others about nutrition, resilience and life after stomach cancer.