Comedian Sidney Raz had no warning signs before doctors found stomach cancer growing inside him.
The 36-year-old, best known for his viral “Life Hacks” videos, was diagnosed early, significantly improving his chances of beating the disease.
But it wasn’t luck that led to the discovery. It was heartbreak.
Back in March, Raz — whose real name is Sidney Raskind — took to social media to share devastating news: his daughter had died in utero at just 26 weeks due to holoprosencephaly, a rare condition where the brain fails to form properly.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the content creator and his wife underwent genetic testing to try to understand what had gone wrong.
While doctors didn’t spot anything in their genes to explain the defect, they did find something else: Raz had a mutation in the CTNNA1 gene called a deletion — the same one his daughter had.
“Because of that deletion, in recent years, it has been seen to cause certain types of cancer — specifically stomach cancer,” Raz shared in an Instagram video.
That genetic red flag prompted the influencer to undergo an endoscopy, where doctors found early-stage stomach cancer.
“I had no symptoms,” Raz said in a later update. “It was literally just my daughter’s DNA that saved my life, and now there can be a path forward.”
Doctors recommended removing his stomach entirely. The surgery is scheduled for July.
“The doctor said today that if I hadn’t caught it this early, I would be back within three years at stage three or four cancer,” Raz said. “So I might not have a stomach, but I’ll be here in three to four years.”
Wondering how he’ll eat without a stomach?
Raz broke it down on TikTok. Surgeons will connect his esophagus directly to his intestine — so instead of food being digested in his stomach first, it’ll just go “straight down.”
“I just have to chew a lot more, and retrain my body how to eat, so I can’t eat as much,” he said. “It’s gonna be a big adjustment. But I don’t want cancer.”
Stomach cancer often grows quietly, slowly developing over years with few, if any, noticeable symptoms early on, according to the Mayo Clinic.
When they do appear, early signs can include indigestion and mild upper stomach pain.
But most people aren’t diagnosed until much later, when the disease has progressed and symptoms like vomiting blood, black stool, extreme fatigue and unexplained weight loss start to surface.
In the US, new stomach cancer cases have been dropping by about 1.5% each year over the last decade, per the American Cancer Society.
Traditionally, the disease has mostly affected older adults, but rates are climbing among young people.
Being male, overweight or obese can increase your chances. So can a diet high in salty, smoked or pickled foods and low in fruits of vegetables.
Smoking an alcohol consumption are also known risk factors.
Medical conditions like gastritis, stomach polyps and gastroesophageal reflux disease, along with a history of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, can also boost your odds.
If you’re thinking about genetic testing, Raz suggests asking doctors to check for mutations in the CDH1 and CTNNA1 genes.
“Those are the two right now that we know that lead to this type of diffused gastric cancer,” he said.
In 2025, the American Cancer Society estimates about 30,300 new stomach cancer cases will be diagnosed in the US, and roughly 10,780 people will die from the disease.
