Super-fit man, 21, who fell ill after a workout at the gym dies three days after shocking diagnosis
A YOUNG athlete has died just three days after falling ill at the gym.
Keen bowler Daniel Donnan had been working out last Thursday at his local gym in County Down, Northern Ireland.
The 21-year-old was rushed to hospital when he started to feel unwell.
Sadly, Daniel died on Monday surrounded by his heartbroken family.
His brother Curtis said scans revealed his sibling was suffering with brain bleeds.
It was then also later revealed that he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer, which spread to his brain and lungs.
Curtis said: “Daniel was at the gym and started to lose power in the right side of his body after he got off the treadmill.
“Daniel had an MRI on Friday and then underwent a CT Scan and ultrasound. He was diagnosed on Friday evening and then we lost him on Monday,” he told BelfastLive.
The family thanked the medics who took care of Daniel at Ulster Hospital and the City Hospital cancer ward.
They also called for young men to be made aware of the symptoms of testicular cancer and how to check themselves for it.
The 21-year-old from Bangor had won numerous titles with his local bowling club, being named under-25 runner-up by the Northern Ireland Bowling Association in 2018.
Bangor Bowling Club secretary Thomas Cannavan told the Mail that Daniel messaged the club WhatsApp group after his brain bleed diagnosis, saying he felt a lot better and was looking forward to the next season.
Medics had planned to move Daniel to a different hospital and try emergency chemotherapy, but it was too late, he added.
Bangor Bowling Club told the Mirror it was devastated by Daniel’s passing, pledging not to forget him.
According to the NHS, testicular cancer is one of the least common cancers, accounting for 1 per cent of all cancers that occur in men.
It’s ‘unusual compared with other cancers because it tends to affect younger men’, mostly those between 15 and 49.
Around 2,300 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer each year in the UK, the NHS said.
Symptoms of testicular cancer
Typical symptoms include:
- painless swelling or a lump in one of your testicles
- a change in shape or texture
- an increase in the firmness of a testicle
- a difference in appearance between testicles
- a dull ache or sharp pain in your testicles or scrotum, which may come and go
- a feeling of heaviness in your scrotum
The swelling or lump can be about the size of a pea, but may be larger, NHS guidance said.
Most lumps or swellings in the scrotum are not in the testicle and are not a sign of cancer, but they should never be ignored.
You should see a GP if you notice a lump, swelling or change in your testicles, NHS guidance said.
But call 999 or go to A&E if you have:
- sudden, severe pain in a testicle
- testicle pain along with feeling sick, being sick or pain in your tummy
- testicle pain that has lasted more than an hour or continues when you’re resting
Here’s a guide on how to check your testicles yourself.