Man’s Stubborn Belly Fat Turned Out to be 30-Pound Tumor

Man’s Stubborn Belly Fat Turned Out to be 30-Pound Tumor [the_ad id=”28610″]

What a New Jersey man thought was stubborn belly fat turned out to be a 30-pound tumor.

Kevin Daly, 63, was encouraged by his doctors to lose weight after he underwent heart surgery for a calcified valve in Dec. 2015. Over two years, he lost 34 lbs. but couldn’t shed his excess belly fat, according to People magazine.

Further investigation revealed a massive tumor in his abdomen.

“I took a look at the images and immediately got very concerned, given the size of this mass,” Dr. Julio Teixeria, Lenox Hill Hospital, told People. “I’ve seen tumors that are large, but not of this size. Just the mere fact that something was able to grow this big shows that it has a malignant behavior, so I was concerned.”

Late last year, Daly had surgery to remove the low-grade liposarcoma tumor. Doctors had expected it to be 12 lbs and were surprised that it was actually 30 lbs.

“I feel tremendous,” Daly told People. “I had lost a tremendous amount of weight already and then I came out of the hospital weighing 172, and that was my high school weight. I’m now up to 187, which is my college weight. It feels really, really good. It’s made me feel 35 again.”

This case highlights the importance of people advocating for their health, according to Teixeria.

“It’s important that people listen to their bodies, and are in tune with their bodies, because often, your instincts are right,” he told People. “If you have a sudden weight loss, or a lack of appetite, or a loss of energy, or if you see an abnormal asymmetry with your body, those are things that you should bring to the attention of your doctor.”