A top rugby star has shared the heartbreaking chain of events that led to his terminal cancer diagnosis, revealing it all began with a small lump his wife noticed after a game.
Cameron Suafoa said he had no warning signs that anything was wrong as he continued to train, play and build his career at the elite level.
At the time, he was coming off the back of a strong run that had seen him rise through provincial rugby, earn a place with the Auckland Blues, and gain selection for the Māori All Blacks and All Blacks XV.
But everything changed with one quiet moment at home.
‘I come home from a game and I was just in the kitchen eating and Brit had seen a lump on my back and she asked me what it was,’ Suafoa said.
‘I didn’t even notice it.’
Cameron Suafoa (pictured running the ball for Auckland) has revealed his terminal cancer diagnosis after his wife noticed a lump on his back following a game
Suafoa admits he kept his diagnosis secret from his family for months while struggling to process the heartbreaking news alone
The rugby star has described his anger and confusion after the diagnosis as he questioned why his cancer returned so suddenly without any warning signs
The lump, which he described as firm and about the size of an egg, didn’t raise immediate alarm.
He initially believed it was nothing more than a minor knock from a match.
‘I thought it was just like a sprig [stud] mark that just blew up a little bit,’ he said.
Despite his wife urging him to get it checked, Suafoa continued playing through the rest of the season, unaware of what was developing beneath the surface.
‘There was nothing wrong with it … I didn’t have any pain,’ he said.
‘Other than just the usual fatigue from a football season.’
It wasn’t until weeks later, when the lump had grown, that medical staff took a closer look and organised scans.
Even then, the seriousness of the situation had not fully sunk in.
Suafoa (pictured running the ball) hid the illness from teammates while continuing to train and push through intense treatment sessions
The former Super Rugby star believes the goal of his chemotherapy is to extend his life while maintaining its quality and avoiding being bedridden long-term
‘I had to go see an oncologist and at the time I didn’t know what an oncologist was,’ he admitted.
‘I thought it was just another doctor.’
A biopsy soon confirmed the devastating truth, a rare, high-grade sarcoma.
In a cruel twist, Suafoa did not initially learn the diagnosis directly from his doctor.
Instead, a phone call scheduling surgery revealed the news in shocking fashion.
‘She called me and was like, ‘Oh yeah, your surgery’s booked in … for the tumour in your back,’ he said.
‘I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’
Moments later, his surgeon rang to apologise and formally explain the diagnosis.
From there, Suafoa underwent major surgery to remove the tumour, which had grown far larger than he realised.
‘There’s like … he took a photo of what he took out. It’s like a freaking steak,’ he said.
‘I didn’t realise how big it was.’
The operation involved removing part of his back muscle, followed by an intense course of radiation treatment lasting weeks.
Incredibly, Suafoa pushed himself to keep training and playing during parts of that process, even hiding his condition from teammates.
‘The only people who knew were the medical staff,’ he said.
‘As long as I could train and make it through, I’ll be sweet.’
But the toll on his body was immense.
The 27-year-old initially thought the lump was a minor injury before tests revealed the horrible scope of his cancer
Suafoa’s tragic story highlights how small signs can hide serious illness, as he urges others to get any unusual changes checked
‘I started losing my appetite … I couldn’t really eat … I was just tired all the time,’ he said.
Still, scans initially showed positive signs, and he began to believe he could return to full fitness and continue his rugby career.
That hope was shattered just before Christmas.
‘Unfortunately probably we found out just before Christmas that my cancer has come back and has spread a bit,’ he said.
‘I got the unfortunate news that … I’m terminally ill now.’
The diagnosis blindsided him, especially as he had been feeling strong and focused on a comeback.
‘I was just starting to get back into some training and rehab … I was feeling pretty good,’ he said.
The emotional impact was immediate and overwhelming.
‘Initially I was pretty angry … probably just questioning … why is this happening to me?’ he said.
In the weeks that followed, Suafoa withdrew from those closest to him, struggling to process the reality of his situation.
‘I didn’t want to be seen by anyone … I didn’t want to see family,’ he said.
‘I was scared to tell them.’
He kept the diagnosis secret for months, even as he spent time with loved ones over Christmas.
‘They’d ask me how I was and I was just like, ‘Yeah, I’m all good,’ he said.
‘I just sort of was just hiding it away like it was like a little secret that I had.’
When he finally opened up, the weight of the moment hit hard.
‘There was a lot of tears … a lot of hugs,’ he said.
Now, with chemotherapy set to begin, Suafoa has shifted his focus away from rugby and towards making the most of the time he has left.
‘Hopefully once I start chemo the goal is to extend my life as much as I can,’ he said.
He is determined to maintain a quality of life that allows him to keep creating memories, rather than being confined to a hospital bed.
‘Not that I’ll be like stuck up in bed … but just take each day as it comes.’
In recent weeks, he married his partner and travelled through Europe, ticking off experiences he once never imagined he would prioritise so soon.
‘It was unreal… we spent about two months over there,’ he said.
The trip, he explained, was a chance to escape and embrace life outside of illness.
Now, with his mindset firmly grounded in acceptance, Suafoa is facing the future with quiet courage.
‘It sort of just is what it is,’ he said.
‘Treating every day like it’s my last and enjoying as much as I can.’
