Sandra F’s story in memory of her brother Rob

My beloved brother Rob was diagnosed with metastatic stage 4 bowel cancer in October 2017, just before his 44th birthday.  He was diagnosed after having an unusual pain in his abdomen which led to urgent CT scans.  He had surgery and chemotherapy and sadly lost his life in June 2018, eight months after diagnosis.

He always said he had no symptoms or perhaps his GP trips did not follow through with the required further investigations he needed.

Please do not ignore any symptoms, get a second or third opinion if you need to. Ask for a colonoscopy – anything to get an answer or put your mind at ease.

Also, bowel cancer has no age limit, it seems. Do not wait until you are aged 50 for checks or think ‘I’m too young to worry about bowel cancer’ or ‘We don’t have this disease in our family history.’

This should not scare you; it’s a positive act of self-care to look after your own health.

Since losing my beloved brother in 2018 and still now (2026) I always share the importance of early detection and awareness of what we feel in our body regardless of our age.

Bowel Cancer Australia is loaded with information on this.

I loved my brother more than anything in the world. RIP my beloved brother Rob. This is done in loving memory of you, my rock always.  #nevertooyoung