Bianca N’s story

It was March of 2025 when symptoms started to show. Bloating, unexplained weight gain and constipation which I attributed to my period and possibly peri-menopause. Nothing seemed to fix it.

In the last week of April 2025, I felt a hard mass in my abdomen. I went straight to my female doctor who was concerned it was possibly cancer. I was sent to a female gynaecological ultrasound clinic same day. What the ultrasound showed was two very large and angry ovaries. I was shocked and hoped it was just PCOS ovaries which I have previously suffered from. Next came the blood tests and a CT scan. My blood work showed elevated tumour markers and the CT scan showed something abnormal in my colon.

On the 30th of April I went and saw a gynaecological oncologist and he told me that I needed surgery yesterday. He told me I had Krukenberg tumors in my ovaries and also what appeared to be colon cancer. I was 43 at the time. A mum of an eight-year-old daughter. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing as I lead a fairly healthy lifestyle and always thought colon cancer was for older people.

I was booked in the next morning for surgery. I had a full hysterectomy, removal of the right side of my colon and about 30 lymph nodes removed.

Due to ileus complications, I ended up with sepsis and a second surgery 13 days later which left me with a temporary ileostomy. I was in hospital for a total of 6 weeks.

I started chemotherapy/immunotherapy in the middle of June 2025. My oncologist believed it was working.

We also had my genome testing done which revealed several gene mutations such as the BRAFV600E mutation.

During my ileostomy reversal and planned HIPEC treatment in late October 2025, it was discovered that I had extensive peritoneal disease which did not allow for the HIPEC treatment. As it is like sand granules and sits on top of the peritoneal area, my surgeon advised that there was nothing surgically he could do and that in effect was incurable. I was devastated.

In December 2025 my treatment changed to targeted therapy (Cetuximab, Encorafenib). I also decided to include Binimetinib at my own cost to add an extra layer of defence.

It’s been nearly 12 months since my diagnosis, and it has changed my life forever. I am scared for my future, in particular for my daughter’s future without her mama. I try to live each day as much as possible, but some days are harder than others.

I’m thankful for a supportive partner, family and friends in my life. I don’t understand why there has been a rise in colon cancer amongst younger people, but more research must be done to prevent it.

I hope and pray that I can hold on for as long as possible. I have so much life to live and so much love to give.

My one piece of advice:

If anything feels off with your body, get it checked out!! Advocate for yourself and push for tests. And if you get no joy from your own doctor, seek a new doctor. Do not ignore persistent warning signs that your body is giving you. Know your body. Tune into your body and don’t brush it off as ‘normal issues’, this especially is for women