Doctors were convinced a Norwegian man was just fat for 12 years – but his growing belly was actually growing a 60-pound malignant tumor.

He was diagnosed with obesity and was even prescribed Ozempic before they discovered the growth, resulting in a ten-hour surgery to remove the growth.

59-year-old Thomas Kraut underwent surgery in Oslo, Norway, after his stomach began to grow larger. Doctors were initially convinced that he was simply overweight.

They reportedly sent him to weight loss and nutrition classes while the cancer grew inside him.

Kraut, originally from Germany, moved to Norway in 2008 to work as an optician while his wife Ines works in the healthcare sector.

In 2011 he started having health problems and his stomach kept growing. He was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and obesity in 2012.

But 12 years later, a doctor examined him more closely while preparing him for gastric sleeve surgery to combat his obesity. That’s when they realized that Kraut was not only overweight, but that he had a huge malignant tumor growing inside him.

“My stomach kept getting bigger. I went from doctor to doctor and in 2019 I was finally approved for gastric sleeve surgery,” he said.

“The doctors only ever talked about obesity and diabetes. I was given Ozempic for diabetes and before gastric sleeve treatment I had to attend nutrition and fitness classes for several years.”

The doctor quickly realized that the hard surface of Thomas’ stomach was not fat.

“It weighed on my stomach. “It was hard, not soft like fat is,” Kraut said.

“I had also lost so much weight from the diet change and Ozempic that my face and arms were very thin. Only my stomach was huge. The doctor even said that I was actually malnourished.”

The doctor immediately ordered a CT scan, which revealed the huge tumor.

“It was a real shock for me,” Kraut admitted. “My kidney was affected because the tumor was feeding on my right kidney.”

It took two weeks for doctors to diagnose Kraut with a rare fatty tumor, which was actually made up of several smaller areas of cancer surrounded by fat.

Kraut underwent a ten-hour surgery on September 26, 2023 to remove the huge tumor. After removal, it weighed 60.18 pounds (27 kilograms) and was 20.59 inches (52.3 centimeters) in diameter.

It had caused significant damage to his body and part of his small intestine and his right kidney had to be removed and cancerous tissue is still growing inside him.

“I go to a psychologist for therapy every two weeks. I have to go to an oncologist twice a year because tumor tissue is still growing in me, which is growing. I was told it cannot be removed because it is connected to multiple organs,” he said.

Kraut and his wife have filed a lawsuit against the doctors who failed to detect the huge and potentially fatal tumor.

It was initially rejected because the type of tumor was so rare that doctors said they couldn’t be blamed for not detecting it.

His lawyer has already filed an objection against the dismissal.

“My lawyer has lodged an objection. “It will work out somehow,” said Kraut.