Fit and healthy Aussie TikTok boss Govind Sandhu reveals the three red flags that exposed stage-four cancer ‘running wild’ through his body even as he ran gruelling half-marathons – and how you can protect yourself
A fit and healthy social media professional has revealed the three warning signs that led to the visit to the GP that ultimately revealed he had stage four cancer.
Govind Sandhu, 38, head of Global Music Partnerships at TikTok Australia, was diagnosed with stage four Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma after noticing his knee was swollen following the Sydney half marathon.
Mr Sandhu, who has been with TikTok for three years, said in an Instagram post on Monday that he ran the half marathon while cancer was “raging through his body”.
“I had no official symptoms until I completed the Sydney Half Marathon,” Mr Sandhu said.
‘I ran the half marathon and was out running in a remote part of Australia the weekend before with the Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma from stage four raging through my body.’
Mr Sandhu said the half marathon and running trails felt “a little harder” than normal, but he did not think this was due to cancer.
The 38-year-old explained a day after the race that he experienced “very severe flu-like symptoms” and severe pain in his body at the back of his neck and down his shoulder.
He also suffered from ‘wild night sweats’, which caused him to wake up several times during the night ‘absolutely drenched’ in sweat.
Govind Sandhu, 38, (pictured) was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkins lymphoma
“Those were the three reasons why I went straight to the doctor the next day,” Mr Sandhu said.
Mr Sandhu urged his countrymen to be proactive by speaking to a doctor about warning signs, scheduling bi-annual blood checks and having a full body ultrasound scan.
“It is better to be safe than sorry,” Mr Sandhu said.
‘I would make an appointment every six months to have blood tests done to make sure your levels are okay.
“If you want to take it a step further, talk to a doctor about getting an ultrasound of your body so you can be sure nothing sinister is going on.”
In another video shared to Instagram, the Sydneysider said yes ‘absolutely shocked and devastated’ and wondered ‘why me?’ after his diagnosis.
He added that things “just went downhill” after finishing the Sydney Half Marathon, but initially thought the swelling on his knee was the result of a running injury.
‘[I had a] “A swollen knee, although I thought that was because I had injured my knee from a pile of rocks I had while running in Hobart,” he said.
In a video shared on Instagram, Mr Sandhu explained that he was experiencing flu-like symptoms, ‘really bad body aches’ in his neck and shoulder and ‘wild night sweats’
‘But [also] just really bad body aches and sweating and everything that would make you think it was the flu or Covid.
‘And in a period of four weeks I only deteriorated.’
After several visits to the GP, blood tests, ultrasounds, PET and CT scans and tissue biopsies, the doctors finally got a ‘general overview of the state of affairs’.
“But there have also been some complications because they found some abnormalities just above my pancreas and on my heart,” Mr Sandhu explained.
“But it looks like, fingers crossed, the heart is fine.”
Mr. Sandhu will soon start chemotherapy. If there is cancer above his pancreas, it will be wiped out.
“It will be aggressive because the cancer is aggressive,” he said.
There was an outpouring of support for Govind on social media with many followers sending him ‘good vibes’.
‘You’ve got this, Gove. [There is] “There is no better person with the strength, resilience and positivity to overcome this,” one person wrote.
Another added: “You ruined everything you ever put your heart and soul into, homie. This is no different.”
A third commented: ‘It bothered the wrong person. You’re gonna crush this, buddy!’
The TikTok boss (pictured), who works at Global Music Partnerships, said he shook off his swollen knee and aches and pains, but his health quickly went ‘downhill’.
The 38-year-old (pictured) encouraged fellow Australians to speak to a doctor about symptoms and schedule blood checks every six months to ‘be safe instead of sorry’
Mr Sandhu said he “can’t believe it” and knows he is in for a fight, but is confident this “will not be the end of my story”.
‘Long road ahead, but this won’t be the end of my story. That is not possible! I am 38 years old, [I’ve] “I have lived the most blessed life ever and have so much more to live for,” he said.
The reality is I have a chance to fight this bastard so I’m taking the W [win] over there.
‘Life is Beautiful. I’m lucky and grateful for what I have.’
He hopes his health battle will remind people to get tested, because cancer ‘does not discriminate’.
‘Have your tests done, have your blood tests done. If you feel sick, don’t just try to fight it,” he urged.