‘I retired after 17 years without sick day and then got diagnosis’

A father of three who spent nearly two decades never missing a day’s work through illness, retired and was subsequently diagnosed with incurable cancer, has revealed his primary symptom was “going off beer”. Andy Young, 62, a retired financial controller from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, enjoyed a pint at the weekend and even brewed his own beer, but as Christmas approached last year, everything changed.

He described experiencing mild flu-like symptoms, which he expected to clear up on their own, but when he “suddenly went off beer”, he decided to see his GP in January. Blood tests revealed his kidneys were not functioning correctly, and further investigations confirmed he had myeloma, a blood cancer, in March. He was told the condition was “treatable but not curable”.

Following several weeks of chemotherapy, Andy is now showing signs of improvement and is looking forward to a stem cell transplant in October, with hopes of achieving remission. “17 years without a day off sick and then I retire and months later I get cancer,” Andy said.

“I didn’t really have any symptoms – apart from the beer bit, the rest were all just vague. But if something doesn’t feel right, or something changes, then it probably isn’t right. Get it checked.”

Reflecting on being able to enjoy a beer once more following his diagnosis, he added: “I can drink a beer now, so I think that (strangely) shows that the chemotherapy is working and my kidneys must be improving.”

Before his diagnosis, Andy revealed he had “no health issues” and had sailed through his routine check-up at 60 with “flying colours”. In the lead-up to Christmas 2025, however, he said he “suddenly went off beer” – and given that one of his greatest passions is homebrewing, this struck him as particularly “strange”.

“I would have a couple of beers in an evening or at the weekend or something and one time it took me nearly three hours to drink a beer,” he said. “There was something about the taste because I really wasn’t enjoying it. It was an effort to get through it.

“Then I had some other low-level symptoms, so there was low-level nausea and some tiredness and chest pain. So, I did what you never should do, I asked Dr Google what it thought and it basically said these symptoms all could be part of the latest bout of flu.”

Andy believed his symptoms would “fix themselves” in due course, but after three weeks with no sign of improvement, he opted to visit his GP in January. While Andy noted the GP did not clarify whether the beer symptom was health-related, he was referred for blood tests.

He said the results indicated his kidneys were not functioning properly and specialists advised him to increase his water intake, yet subsequent blood tests over the following weeks showed no improvement. Further investigations, including blood tests, urine tests, X-rays, ECGs, ultrasounds and a bone marrow biopsy, ultimately revealed he had myeloma in March – news which he said “left (him) numb”.

“It took clinicians almost three months to finally diagnose me with blood cancer… I was just thinking it was a kidney problem,” he said. “The consultant came in to break the news and said, ‘You’ve got myeloma, it’s a blood cancer, it’s treatable but not curable. Any questions?’ It was a huge shock and… then I thought – ‘How do I tell my loved ones? What does this mean?'”

Symptoms of blood cancer

According to Myeloma UK, some of the common symptoms and complications of myeloma can include pain, fatigue, recurring infection, kidney damage and peripheral neuropathy – when peripheral nerves are damaged. However, despite it being the third most common type of blood cancer, it is difficult to detect as symptoms are often linked to general ageing or minor conditions, the charity says.

Andy had never heard of myeloma prior to his diagnosis, yet, being an “analytical thinker” with a “positive mindset”, he said he simply wanted to begin treatment without delay.

“There’s no point going, ‘why me?’, or, ‘this isn’t fair’, none of that thought process helps you,” he said. “You’ve just got to accept it and then see what treatments are available. The thing that knocked me for six is when I read somewhere about three to five years being the average life expectancy from diagnosis… but I soon ignored those numbers.”

Andy, who is married to Hayley, was prescribed steroids and his doctors permitted him to proceed with a planned family break to the Lake District, where his children and grandchildren joined him for walks and board games. It was there, thanks to the steroids, that Andy felt well enough to enjoy a beer for the first time since falling ill.

“It was good to enjoy the taste of beer again… but it was a reminder of how strange my symptoms were,” he said. “When you think of cancer, you think of pain and lumps and I had neither, just this strange change to my taste.”

In April, Andy revealed he underwent a full-body scan to assess the extent of the cancer and was informed by doctors that it had caused two fractures near the top of his spine. He was told the vertebrae were dangerously close to pressing on the spinal cord, which could have impaired his mobility or even resulted in paralysis, yet Andy said he had “no pain” and described it as a “complete shock”.

Andy was subsequently fitted with a back brace, and now sports a custom-made one featuring Spider-Man themed colouring, as his older granddaughter is “a huge fan” of the cartoon Spidey And His Amazing Friends.

He said: “I probably have to wear it for another three months, but I’ve got to stop wearing it by September because otherwise I won’t get the stem cell transplant that’s scheduled for October.”

Andy is currently undergoing chemotherapy subcutaneously – injecting into the layer of fat just beneath the skin – on a weekly basis and takes steroids, which can interfere with his sleep, though he is otherwise managing well with the treatment. While his daily walking is restricted due to his spine and he has been forced to cancel plans such as festivals this summer, he said getting outdoors “really helps”.

He still has several weeks of chemotherapy remaining, but is already preparing for his scheduled stem cell transplant in October – and while he feels apprehensive, he believes it offers him the strongest chance of remission.

“Everything I’ve read or listened to (about the transplant) sounds horrendous, for a week or two,” he explained. “But when you look at the outcome of people who have it, then bring it on, because it’s worth going through a bad patch just to increase the chance of a longer remission at the end.”

Andy is now backing Myeloma UK’s Know the Warning Signs campaign, helping to raise awareness of the symptoms of the disease, which affects more than 35,000 people across the UK. He is urging fellow myeloma patients to “find out as much as you can” – whether through reading articles, seeking guidance from Myeloma UK or tuning into podcasts – and encouraging people to get any unusual symptoms checked out promptly.

Reflecting on how his diagnosis has shifted his outlook, he said: “I guess it has made me think about things more – and it is the simple things (that matter).”

For more information and support visit myeloma.org.uk/warning