Lara’s story

February 24, 2024, a month after my 20th birthday my life took an unexpected turn.

I went to the emergency room for them to discover I was highly anaemic and after a few more scans and tests, they discovered a large tumour in my bowel and that it was in fact bowel cancer.

From that point I underwent emergency surgery and ended up with an ileostomy bag.

That year was the hardest I’ve had to go through, going through chemotherapy and having to get used to my new way of living with my ileostomy bag.

Last September I finished my 12 rounds of chemotherapy and at the end of November last year I was lucky enough to have a reversal surgery to remove my ileostomy.

I was always nervous about people finding out my condition as I didn’t want anyone to look at me differently and feel sorry for me, as well as overall I just felt a little embarrassed.

I realise now that I should have never felt ashamed of my condition.

That by going through what I have, it has made me a stronger and better person, and that bowel cancer is something that no one likes to talk about because it’s an icky and gross subject, especially at a young age.

My one piece of advice:

Through my diagnosis I have realised how incredibly important it is to get checked and screened for any possible cancer no matter the age! It can happen to anyone. Listen to your body and don’t be afraid to fight for an answer!