Man who put pain down to hard work and took paracetamol dies, aged 32

Man who put pain down to hard work and took paracetamol dies, aged 32 Roy had been to his GP and hospital multiple times to try to find out what was wrong A man who thought he had a bad back from working in a pub and took paracetamol for the pain has died, aged 32. Roy Mugera, from Dagenham, died in the early hours of Wednesday, July 8. In 2023, Roy was working as a barman when he began experiencing back pain, which he put down to carrying crates of stock and changing beer kegs in the cellar. In order to sleep, he was having to spend nights in his gaming chair, on the living room sofa and at other times across his bed in a seated position with his desk chair used as leg rest with lots of pillows and a gym bag full of clothes for extra support for his back and left side. There was a lump on his side that was rising up and down. At the time, Roy said: “At first, I didn't take the pain seriously because at the time, I was working as a bartender and with handling deliveries and restocking merchandise, I was constantly carrying heavy things. But over the next few months, as the pain worsened, I was in and out of hospital, trying to find solutions or to have a scan done for my back to see what was going on. “I went to the GP several times as I was also starting to see a lump growing on my left diaphragm. It was painful, and I was also having cramps and stomaches. Before visiting the GP and being admitted to A&E, I had been taking over-the-counter painkillers like Paracetamol and Panadol, but they weren’t helping.’’ It took almost five months, and three visits to his GP, before a biopsy revealed the cause, synovial sarcoma, a cancer so rare that fewer than 80 people in England are diagnosed with it each year. He was told his cancer was incurable. Chemotherapy proved so intense that Roy had to stop after just three of his six scheduled rounds. He came through two life-threatening episodes of sepsis, at one point he was within two hours of death. Radiotherapy in March 2024 brought a period of hope, shrinking his tumour from 22cm to just 1cm, but two nodules were then found in his right lung, requiring further surgery. By the time of his death, his tumour had regrown to 17cm, and the cancer had returned to his lungs. Roy spoke candidly about the isolation of receiving a rare cancer diagnosis. “When I first heard the word sarcoma, I felt very alone,” he said. “Who else has sarcoma? I went on YouTube, where was my tribe?” He found that tribe in Sarcoma UK, and went on to become one of its most powerful voices, sharing his experience so that others receiving the same diagnosis would never feel as alone as he once had. He was close to fellow synovial sarcoma patient Darrell McDonald, a father of two who died aged 44 earlier last year. “I only knew Darrell for a brief time, but I was heartbroken,” Roy said at the time. Sarcoma UK is currently funding two research projects into synovial sarcoma, work that Roy's own advocacy helped bring attention to. At Imperial College London, researchers are developing a targeted therapy designed to attack only sarcoma cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue untouched. At the University of Edinburgh, researchers are studying the genetic abnormalities that drive sarcoma growth, with the aim of unlocking treatments that could benefit multiple types of the disease. Both projects are supported by the charity's Synovial Sarcoma Fund. Sarcoma UK's Digital Communications Manager, Enda Guinan, said: “Roy wanted people affected by sarcoma to know they were not alone. He said that Sarcoma UK helped him 'find his tribe', and in turn he became part of that tribe for countless others. “Even when he was very unwell, Roy was determined to use his own experience to help people who would never meet him. We are deeply grateful that he trusted us with his story, and to his family for supporting its continued sharing. Roy's voice will continue to reach people, and his contribution to the sarcoma community will not be forgotten.”