Chris Cairns has been diagnosed with bowel cancer.

Chris Cairns, a former New Zealand cricketer, announced that he’s been diagnosed with bowel cancer five months after suffering a spinal stroke following emergency heart surgery.

Cairns was only just discharged from hospital, five months after undergoing a life-saving heart procedure and being paralyzed by a severe stroke.

“I was told yesterday that I have bowel cancer… huge shock and not what I expected following what was meant to be a routine appointment,” Cairns said on Instagram.

“So, as I prepare for another round of discussions with surgeons and specialists, I keep reminding myself how fortunate I am to be here in the first place… and how grateful I am to have all that I do in my life.” Another fight awaits, but let’s hope it’s a quick uppercut and over in the first round.”

Cairns represented New Zealand in 62 Tests, 215 One-Day Internationals, and two Twenty20 matches. Lance, his father, was also a New Zealand cricketer. He smashed 87 sixes in Tests, a Test world record at the time, and became the sixth player to achieve the all-rounders’ double of 200 wickets and 3,000 runs.

He has lived in Canberra for some years with his wife and children.

After retiring from international cricket, he was accused of match-fixing as captain of the Chandigarh Lions in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL) in 2008.

The 51-year-old had received life-saving therapy for a torn artery before suffering a spinal stroke that left him paralyzed from the waist down in late August.