I'm taking part in Step up for 30 to raise money for Bowel Cancer UK. They're the UK's leading bowel cancer charity and are determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. Bowel cancer is the UK's second biggest cancer killer with more than 16,500 people dying annually of a disease that is preventable, treatable and curable. I'm determined to help Bowel Cancer UK to change that. The money you donate will help to provide support and information to patients and their families, enable them to fund and support research into bowel cancer and to campaign for early diagnosis and best treatment and care for all.

My Story

During the first lock down March 2020 this is when my journey began......

I first remember whenever i ate anything i would get serve cramps in my stomach and terrible acid- at first i put this down to the cider and gin drinking i was enjoying in the lock down sunshine. However after changing my diet and getting back into my fitness i still continued to have pains in my stomach. I tried lots of different medication from over the counter for acid and reflux however it didnt seem to have any effect. Alongside all of this i was suffering with extreme tiredness all the time and could barely keep myself going some days

I contacted my GP, however due to COVID it was a lot of over the phone appointments trying to explain the pain i was in and how i was unable to eat due to the fear of pain. I was then prescribed IBS tablets, acid tablets and peppermint capsules. Things improved slightly but the pain continued and after some time the tablets didn't seem to work. The pain was so unbearable, and the GP eventually agreed to see me. He examined me, suggested i had blood tests to look at my iron levels, thyroid, liver and kidney functions. i was also sent away with print outs about IBS and I asked to try
some different medication. The results came back and i was extremely anaemic and was then given iron tablets. The pains in my stomach and the anaemia was very hard to deal with. Therefore the doctor agreed to see me again and suggested i was referred for an endoscopy.

July 2020- I had my endoscopy- where they took biopsies from my stomach- a month later i got the result- i had gastritis. I was then given more medication to try- however the pain continued, which was really affecting my daily life in so many ways. I kept calling my GP because the pain was getting worse, they then prescribed me
with pain management medication.

Due to the pain continuing the GP also referred me to the Womens hospital in Birmingham. I received an ultra sound to check my womb and ovaries to see if they were causing the pains. The scans came back all clear and i was then sent for CT scans and yet again they couldnt see anything. I felt like i was going mad as i couldnt understand why they couldnt find out what was causing the pain. I kept in contact with my GP weekly due to pain now becoming such an issue in my daily life and stopping me from doing normal things.

June 2021- Things were becoming very difficult and I had been in so much pain for such a long time now. I was being passed around to lots of different doctors, had so many different blood tests and tried some many different medications. But i knew something wasn’t right so i kept pestering the professionals. In the end i attended an appointment which i think i will never forget. I was offered another endoscopy and this time a colonoscopy. During the colonoscopy you could see everything happening on the screen beside you. The camera stopped and the consultant was looking closely at something- he looked at me and told me i am sorry but there is a cancerous mass and we will need to take biopsies from it for further testing. He asked me had anyone mentioned the possibilities of bowel cancer prior to these examinations, which i replied, no! I couldn’t quite believe what i was being told, after all this time and pain, tests, seeing so many different doctors nothing was picked up.

From that appointment things moved very quickly, and I was placed in the care of some fantastic consultants/surgeons and specialist nurses. In July 2021 – I was admitted into hospital with Stage 3 Bowel Cancer and I had an operation to remove half of my bowel.
Following this I started 6 months of Chemotherapy to totally kill off all the cancerous cells in my body- as when they took the biopsies the cancer has also spread to 3 of my lymph nodes. The chemotherapy journey was a very difficult and I don’t know how I would of managed to get through it without Steve, my amazing family and friends. But also, all the amazing nurses I spoke to regularly on the phone and during my hospital visits. 

I have now finished my chemotherapy and for the past 6 weeks things have been getting back to normal and feeling more like myself. The journey continues and i will be monitored for some time as they also pick up through the biopsies i have Lynch syndrome. This means i have a genetic mutation and i carry the cancerous gene. 

March 2022- My most recent CT scan, Everything has come back all clear!!!!!!

Throughout this whole journey I have done lots of reading and research and I cant believe the amount of stories like mine, where people were ignored and wrongly diagnosed for years and then when diagnosed with bowel cancer people are shocked as they are classed as two young to have bowel cancer!!!  You are never too young to have bowel cancer and that is why I would like to raise awareness about this awful disease!!! So please please listen to your bodies and get checked- and if you must like me pester the doctors, you know your own bodies!!

Therefore, to raise awareness myself and my Mom will be doing 30 minutes a day of exercise to raise money for Bowel cancer. Keep an eye out on out page as we will be keeping you all up to date on our progress