I had awful indigestion for two years – but every time I went to the doctors they sent me home and told me to tweak my diet. One finally took a look and found a rare and deadly cancer

An architect who was given a shock cancer diagnosis revealed the one persistent sign that was ignored for more than two years.

Anthony Vecchiofrom Sydney, suddenly suffered from ‘terrible’ acid reflux and digestive problems in 2021 – but the medication his GP prescribed didn’t seem to work.

He was misdiagnosed several times, with many assuming his discomfort was due to his diet or a bacterial infection.

The 36-year-old began to worry as his excruciating episodes only got worse, and he eventually saw a gastroenterologist in December 2022 for an endoscopy and colonoscopy.

Anthony was devastated when he discovered a tumor growth at the lower junction of his esophageal tube.

‘I was at my lowest between the day of discovery and the consultation appointment. I had no self-esteem, I felt depressed, tired, upset and I cried a lot,” Anthony told FEMAIL.

‘I didn’t eat much and didn’t sleep well. When I went to the doctor for the biopsy results, it was confirmed that I had a malignant cancerous tumor cell.’

Anthony was born with severe hearing loss and struggled with various health problems throughout his life, including asthma.

‘Because of my hearing impairment, I had trouble connecting with my family and peers and spent most of my life alone until I reached my early 30s.

‘My childhood and teenage years were really challenging because I couldn’t really hear anyone, and I was never a top student or a good friend for anything.

‘I’m really lucky to have a supportive family. I don’t know where I would be without them or how I would have gotten through my cancer diagnosis.”

But Anthony isn’t the only one in his family who had to deal with the debilitating disease.

‘Romina and I had been dating for almost two years when I asked her to marry me in December 2020.

‘We were planning to celebrate our engagement but had to cancel it after discovering my mother-in-law had been diagnosed with aggressive gallbladder cancer.

‘She sadly succumbed to the terrible disease and passed away after courageously battling it for six months.’

Anthony revealed that dealing with that deep loss also affected how he viewed his own cancer journey, and he couldn’t help but draw parallels between the two situations.

‘Fortunately my tumor was localized and could therefore be treated. I was really lucky that the tumor hadn’t spread to other parts of my body.’

Esophageal cancer typically has no worrisome symptoms and shows no negative health consequences until the disease has progressed to stage three or four.

‘According to the surgeons and other health specialists I have seen, it is rare for a young person to develop oesophageal cancer, as it is more common in people over 50 who have a history of heavy smoking, alcohol consumption and poor diet.

‘I was never the most active person growing up, but I worked out a few times a week and I never indulged in drinking or fast food.’

Anthony started treatment in January 2023 and completed 23 rounds of radiotherapy and five rounds of chemotherapy in five weeks.

He experienced several troublesome side effects such as fatigue, fatigue, nausea and incontinence.

“It was very difficult to stay positive during treatment, my family and work were the only thing keeping me going,” he said.

Anthony underwent a six-hour operation at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in Sydney, where two-thirds of his esophagus and the upper part of his stomach were removed.

“I remember waking up and being shocked by the huge scar,” he said. ‘The lymph nodes around my abdomen were removed as a precaution and my stomach was reconstructed and repositioned to connect to the upper esophageal tube.’

After that, he was unable to eat or drink anything for two weeks and had to be fed through tubes that went in and out of his body.

“The first few days were horrible. I couldn’t even get up from the hospital bed and walk around the room.”

Anthony said the doctors and nurses at his treatment center were kind and patient in his journey to recovery and helped him move forward.

“I had to go back to work part-time shortly after the operation because we couldn’t afford for me not to work,” he said sadly.

The costs of specialists, hospitals, operations and other expenses without work were too high to be covered by donations and savings.

“I still have reflux and indigestion, but it’s not as bad as before,” he said. “It’s hard for your mind not to go to the worst places after everything I’ve been through.”

Anthony’s cancer journey is not over and he is currently undergoing regular check-ups, appointments, scans and pathology tests to monitor his esophagus and stomach.

You can donate to help with Anthony’s treatment costs here.