Matt S’s story

In late 2023 I began experiencing some slightly painful cramping in my stomach/abdo area.

I went to a GP and was put on reflux tablets, being 35 years old and no family history of bowel cancer it wasn’t even spoken of.

The pains would come and go and got put to the side as my partner was pregnant and work was busy.

After a few weeks the pains slowly increased and worsened. I ended up in emergency with a partial bowel blockage, and a colonoscopy was done to reveal a 7cm tumour in my transverse colon.

March 11, 2024, I underwent surgery to remove 70cm of large bowel. May 6th chemo began for a ‘mop up’ of any potential left over cells. May 8th my beautiful daughter was born, making the chemo disconnect easy, being at the same hospital.

Mid-October 2024, 12 rounds of chemo completed, and blood levels and scans were all good. Port was removed in December and life felt semi back to normal, besides the ongoing potential recurrence anxiety.

May 2025, 6 monthly check up with oncology to reveal blood levels rising and scans were lighting up with activity.

The cancer had unfortunately returned quite viciously, being in a number of areas within the peritoneal area.

Two tumours growing on the surgery incisions, growth around the bowel resection joint and another under the diaphragm.

Unfortunately it was too much to go ahead with the peritonectomy surgery. So back to chemo to shrink the tumours and hope for the best.

I’m just completing my 8th round now with scans a couple of weeks ago revealing a stable status. No major growth or shrinkage so we proceed with more treatment, stepping it up a notch with an extra component.

From living a normal life one day to being told you could have a few months left, if chemo was to be refused or doesn’t work, is a scary feeling that has taken me a long time to accept.

Anxiety and panic attacks crept in and didn’t leave quickly so that was a new thing to deal with.

My one piece of advice:

I just turned 37 with a long road ahead, but I am trying to stay positive and enjoy the simple things in life and time with my daughter.

The old cliché saying of thinking it would never happen to me can be undone in an instant. Get checked if even there’s a slight concern with anything to do with your body and push harder or see someone else if it doesn’t feel right.

I always regret not pushing harder at the beginning as it may have saved me a few weeks which maybe could have given me a better outcome.