Kyle Ingram-Baldwin was described as "the most amazing man" by his wife
Kyle was a massive Liverpool FC supporter and visited the city on several occasions
Kyle Ingram-Baldwin(Image: Supplied)
A dad was given "heartbreaking news” after complaining of stomach pains. Kyle Ingram-Baldwin, 40, died last month after his diagnosis with stage four bowel cancer on October 25 2024.
Kyle was a massive Liverpool FC supporter who visited the city on several occasions, most recently for the team's parade of the Premier League trophy on May 26. Kyle’s death led to an outpouring of love from Liverpool fans on social media, who he had built a close friendship with over the years. His wife, Becky Ingram-Baldwin, said Kyle’s diagnosis came as a massive shock to him and the family.
Kyle’s only symptoms were a stomach ache and feeling very tired. According to the NHS, these can both be symptoms of bowel cancer, but Becky said Kyle was often misdiagnosed with other illnesses.
The 38-year-old said the support the family has received from Liverpool supporters in the weeks since his death has been heartwarming. Becky told the ECHO: “He was the most amazing man I've ever met. He was funny.
“He was really thoughtful and caring. He'd do anything for anyone. Since he's died so many people have reached out to me and said what an impact he's had on their lives. I knew he was incredible, but it's another level.
“It’s really great hearing how incredible other people thought he was because I knew it. He was an amazing dad too. Being a dad was a really important thing to him.”
Kyle inherited his love of Liverpool FC from his mum. Despite being from Ramsgate in Thanet, he adored the club and visited the city regularly.
Becky said: ”Everyone who saw Kyle knows what team he supported because he always would wear something, like a Liverpool hat, top or shorts.
“He just wanted to talk about it with anyone and everyone. It was such a big part of his life. He took to Twitter to talk about it, and I think that's where he found all of those friends.
“He obviously passed that on to our children too. I'm not a massive football fan, I'll be honest, but I've been to Liverpool games and it feels like such a family there.
“Everyone looks out for everyone. I think that’s what drew Kyle in. He felt like he was part of a big family and he enjoyed that feeling.”
Kyle reported several health issues over a number of years but couldn’t get to the bottom of the problem until October 2024. Becky said: “He'd been going backwards and forwards with doctors over the years.
Kyle was a massive Liverpool FC supporter and visited the city on several occasions
Kyle was a massive Liverpool FC supporter and visited the city on several occasions
(Image: Supplied)
Kyle Ingram-Baldwin died last month after being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in October 2024
Kyle Ingram-Baldwin died last month after being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in October 2024
(Image: Supplied)
“He just started getting a pain in his stomach and in his shoulder. He thought it could be a workout injury.
“The doctor said it was IBS but I thought it sounded like gallstones. I told him to go to hospital, because if it was gallstones, they could sort it out there.”
The family faced a long wait before they discovered what was wrong. Becky said: “He kept saying, I'll be home soon. Then the time just kept ticking away.
“Then he turned up and just told us that it was stage four bowel cancer. We said, 'what?' It obviously floored us because he was so healthy, he didn't look ill and he didn't have any of the symptoms.
“He didn't drink, he didn't smoke, he didn't do drugs, he ate healthily, he worked out, so it was such a shock. When someone is at stage four, you imagine them being a lot more ill.
“He had a few stomach aches and it wasn't a consistent stomach ache either. Certain foods would make it worse. He was tired, but we have four children and you expect to be tired.
“Tiredness obviously is one of the signs, but we didn’t think anything of it. It is just absolutely heartbreaking. It’s scary how he went downhill so quickly.”
On June 8, Kyle set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for private treatment. He died after further illness eight days later.
Becky said: “It’s such a loss. He was my everything. He was my soulmate. We've been together a long time.
“I don’t think we’ll ever get over this, ever, because it was so quick. He contracted sepsis at the end and died of multi-organ failure, which stemmed from the cancer.”
Becky refunded everyone’s original donations but set-up a new one, with the money set to go towards their children. Thanks in part to the large number of Liverpool fans he knew, over £9,00 has been raised.
Becky said: “It was just so overwhelming and beautiful. Nothing can make up for the loss but seeing those messages is just absolutely wonderful and it just makes me feel so proud of him.
“If people want to give to his children, to help them, then they can. We want to take them to Liverpool and Anfield again. I know he'd want that message of people to just don't leave things unchecked. It doesn't matter how young you are."
You can find out more about the GoFundMe here.