Dad's 'tennis injury' was actually a rugby ball-sized tumour

When Richard Driver started experiencing back and stomach pain he thought he had just suffered an injury while playing tennis. The dad-of-two suffered with symptoms for a few months before a scan revealed a shocking rugby ball-sized tumour in his abdomen.

Richard had been experiencing back pain and stomach for a couple of months before celebrating his 60th birthday in August 2023. The retired IT consultant from Norfolk thought the backache had been caused by playing a tennis match with his son Rory.

His daughter Zoe, 32, said: "He thought the back pain was just what it felt like to get old. He’s one of those people who never really gets ill, so he thought he was fine.”

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As the pain continued, Zoe and her mum, Tina, encouraged Richard, now 61, to seek a doctor's opinion. He was referred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, and after several scans, doctors discovered Richard had a rugby ball-sized tumour in his abdomen that could have been "growing for years."

He was diagnosed with stage three dedifferentiated liposarcoma - a rare type of cancer that starts in the fat cells - and needed urgent surgery to remove the 26cm tumour that had grown so large it was "crushing" his organs. Richard underwent a 13-hour operation to remove the tumour, along with a kidney, his pancreas, his spleen and part of his bowel.

After the surgery, Richard developed the deadly infection , where the body attacks its own tissue, as well as suffering a heart attack and collapsed lung. Despite the complications, Richard found out that the procedure was a success and he was declared "cancer-free" in May 2024.

There is a high risk of the cancer returning, so Richard is being monitored with regular check-ups. His daughter Zoe, a winemaker, from Wylye in Wiltshire, said: "When the biopsy came back - I couldn't believe it.

"The sheer number of organs affected was unbelievable. It was a bit like - how can anyone survive this?

"It felt like it had gone from nothing to something huge very quickly. Dad is an active guy, and he doesn’t like to lose, so when he played tennis against my brother, he thought he had just pulled a muscle in his back from overexertion."

Richard had always been "conscious" of his health, eating a good diet and exercising regularly. He spent a lot of time walking with wife Tina, a retired allocation manager at , after moving from London to Norfolk, and had lost some weight.

When he started experiencing bloating and pain, he was "confused" but not initially concerned. Zoe recalled: "We'd been through it already with mum, who had endometrial cancer.

"She had a hysterectomy and her recovery was quite straightforward. But for Dad, there was only one surgeon in the whole country that was willing to do the operation because that type of cancer is so rare.

"To this day, I don’t understand how the doctors did what they did, and how Dad just got on with it. It felt like a mad, horrible dream.”

Despite losing over three stone in weight, Richard has gradually built up his strength and is taking it "day by day". Zoe is now planning to run the London Marathon 2025 to raise money for Sarcoma UK, and has so far raised £4,500.

"Dad is determined to get as strong as he can, but we don’t know what the future holds,” she said. “I want to help but I wasn’t sure how I could.”

Richard, who has been gradually recovering at home, commented: “It was very scary when I was first told, particularly after the details of what surgery was required. But the care I received in the was superb.

“I do think it was worse for Tina and the kids watching from the outside though. I’m really proud that Zoe wanted to run the marathon for me. I think she will be brilliant as usual.”

You can donate to Zoe and support Sarcoma UK at .

According to , the most common symptom of sarcoma is a lump that is growing or changing. Other symptoms can include:

• Swelling, tenderness or pain in the bone that can be worse at night
• Stomach pain
• Feeling sick
• Loss of appetite or feeling full after a small amount of food
• Blood in your poo or vomit.

If you experience any unexplained symptoms you should speak to your GP.