December 17, 20155:24am
A BODYBUILDER’s death from cancer was a “direct cause” of taking steroids, an inquest has heard.
Fitness fanatic Dean Wharmby died on July 19, five years after falling ill.Coroner Lisa Hashmi issued a warning for others after ruling the tragic 39-year-old’s misuse of anabolic steroids was responsible for his untimely death.
“To my mind, there is a direct, causal link with Dean’s death.
“Dean’s death and the precious loss of such a young life in such circumstances ought to send out a very clear message to all those involved in the body building and fitness industries. Use of anabolic steroids, which is apparently rife throughout, is not without inherent risk.
“I would urge all those using and abusing such drugs to reconsider their position and ask whether it is really worth it given the life-threatening risks.”
The dad of one, who had taken steroids for about a year, later developed liver cancer.
His partner Charlotte Rigby said that when she first met Mr Wharmby eight years ago, she had suspicions he had used steroids because of his muscular build, but said when they got together in 2010, he was trying to stop taking the drugs.
“I didn’t know the ins and outs, but I knew a lot of people who were using it. It was the done thing because of the benefits people could see with their bodies.”
After Mr Wharmby, who, at his heaviest tipped the scales at 127kg, developed health problems Charlotte said he stopped taking steroids and embraced spiritual healing methods such as reiki and natural medicine.
Mr Wharmby and Ms Rigby chronicled his battle with cancer on a Facebook page called Dean’s Journey, which attracted thousands of followers.
The inquest heard towards the end of his life he was taking 200 natural remedy tablets a day.
In July he was moved to Springhill Hospice, where he died.
The inquest found that two falls he suffered at the hospice had no bearing on his death and Ms Rigby and Mr Wharmby’s father, John Wharmby, paid tribute to the “excellent care” he received at Springhill.
Speaking in March he speculated that his diet may have been responsible for his illness.
He said: “It was because I was trying to be as big as possible. I can’t say it was the diet for sure, but things like the energy drinks could be contributing factors. Red meats — all things we have found out have so many impurities in them now.
“I think it was a combination of it all.”
When he became unwell five and a half years ago, he was offered chemotherapy and a liver transplant but turned them down in favour of natural remedies.
He said: “I refused it from day one. The main reason why I chose to do natural instead of artificial was because I wanted to live. I didn’t want to die.”
This article originally appeared inThe Sun
1 comment:
What a shame, especially for his family.
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