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When it comes to our health, especially as we get older, paying attention to small changes in our body can make all the difference. Sometimes it’s not the big, obvious symptoms that matter most — it’s the subtle ones we might be tempted to brush off.
That’s exactly the message bladder cancer survivors are trying to share, after many discovered they had the same early symptom before being diagnosed: blood in the urine.
Why This Symptom Matters
Bladder cancer isn’t rare. In the UK alone, there are more than 10,000 new cases each year. While it can affect anyone, the risk increases with age, family history, and certain lifestyle factors.
Nearly half of all cases may be preventable, but catching the disease early is key — and that means knowing what to look for.
According to medical experts, the single most common early warning sign is seeing blood in your urine, even if it happens just once and even if it’s barely noticeable.
“It Was the Lightest Shade of Pink”
Back in 2018, Dr. Arthur Hamberger — a physician and three-time cancer survivor at the time — noticed something unusual. There was the slightest hint of pink in his urine.
“It was so faint you could almost miss it,” he recalled. But his instincts told him not to ignore it.
Arthur contacted a urologist and underwent a scan of his urinary tract. The results revealed a large tumor in his bladder — and unexpectedly, a mass in his pancreas as well.
Thanks to acting quickly, Arthur’s doctors were able to remove the bladder tumor while preserving the organ, and he also underwent surgery for the second tumor. Today, he is a six-time cancer survivor who credits his recovery to paying attention to that early sign.
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