Renae P’s story

I went to the GP end of August 2025, not long after turning 42, after noticing blood in my stool on and off for a few months, a bloated stomach and constipation/diarrhea.

I thought it might be either endometriosis back in my bowel or potentially bowel cancer as my dad had been diagnosed at 56.

I was put on an ‘urgent’ waitlist in the public system and did not get seen until eight months later in April 2026. I was told I had ‘no greater risk’ than anyone else my age and it was likely haemorrhoids, but I would be booked in for my first colonoscopy two weeks later for ‘peace of mind’.

April 24th, I had the colonoscopy where I was told they had found a mass which was confirmed to be cancer. A left hemicolectomy was booked for June 2nd, and they removed 21cm of bowel and the lymph nodes surrounding.

They found cancer in five lymph nodes, which changes my staging to 3b.

After healing enough from surgery, I started six months of Capox chemother apy on July 18th and have just had my second round.

My one piece of advice:

Never stop advocating for your self and your body, despite your age.