A dad who thought he had a UTI was diagnosed with stage four bladder cancer and given 24 months to live.
Dad-of-two Chris Cotton, 50, started experiencing what he believed were UTI symptoms in October 2022 — pain when he passed urine and needing to use the toilet more often.
He drank cranberry juice and went to his GP who prescribed antibiotics and the pain went away.
But the pain came back, and after repeated trips and prescriptions, in January 2024 the public service worker was referred to Leighton Hospital, Crewe, by his GP, to meet with the oncology team.
A CT scan and a biopsy revealed he had muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
He was given a prognosis of 12 to 24 months, and is currently undergoing chemotherapy to prolong his life.
Married Chris from Sandbach, Cheshire, said: “The cancer had already spread to my pelvic lymph nodes and to a vessel near the bladder.
“As a result, the prognosis was very poor with the oncologist estimating that I have approximately 12-24 months left to live.
“This devastating news came as a huge shock — not just to me, but also to my incredibly strong and supportive wife Hannah, and our two wonderful young daughters aged 12 and 14.
“Our world changed overnight to a world of learning new things about cancer, hospital appointments and difficult conversations with family and friends.”
Speaking of his initial symptoms Chris said: “I went to the doctors, and explained what was going on, they took some urine samples and gave me some antibiotics.
“That seemed to work, it kind of went away for a while.
“A few months later, the pain came back, I did all sorts.
“I would drink cranberry juice, thinking that would flush through whatever was causing the pain, but that didn’t have much of an effect.”
During the biopsy, doctors removed a 10cm tumor from the bladder.
Chris said: “I prepared myself that it could be cancer, after the doctor left, it hit me, and I was upset for a while.
“It was really raw, but I have to accept the situation I am in, I have very little control in this situation.”
On January 3, 2025, a day after his 50th birthday, Chris was given the bad news.
Chris said: “The oncologist said that my cancer was incurable.
“I asked what time frame we were looking at, it is a question that nobody wants to ask, and nobody wants to answer.
“She said that if we accept that the cancer is spreading, and other options don’t work, I would be looking at 12 to 24 months.
“I was upset at that point, your mind starts racing, if I only have 12 to 24 months left to live — what do I do?
“There are things I wanted to do in my lifetime, places that I wanted to see.”
In January, Chris started his six cycles of chemotherapy at The Christie Hospital, Manchester.
During his treatment, Chris is raising money for The Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Care Centres who have been supporting Chris throughout his diagnosis.
To raise money, Chris will be taking part in a Tour De 4 — Sir Chris Hoy’s fundraising charity bike ride — a 56-mile bike ride in Glasgow on September 7, 2025.
Chris said: “When I heard that Sir Chris Hoy was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer, I thought how he showed that life does not end with your diagnosis.
“His approach to his diagnosis inspired me.
“Cycling has always been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember, from racing in town centre sprints as a young teenager to competing in Extreme Iron Distance triathlons.
“It is a pastime I have sought great solace which has helped me mentally and physically in tough times.”
According to the NHS, symptoms of bladder cancer include:
– a burning sensation when passing urine
– a need to urinate on a more frequent basis
– sudden urges to urinate
– pelvic pain
– bone pain
– unintentional weight loss
– swelling of the legs
