Melissa D’s story

I was 32 when I found out I had Stage III bowel cancer. I presented to emergency with heavy rectal bleeding and the doctors there didn’t mention that cancer was a possibility. They were thinking internal haemorrhoids or ulcerative colitis. It wasn’t until I went in for a colonoscopy that they found a large mass in my sigmoid colon along with 20 polyps throughout my large bowel. 

I woke to the doctor coming in with my husband and pulling the curtain closed. He told me he suspected I had bowel cancer. I instantly felt tears streaming down my face. I looked at my husband and saw his eyes filling up with tears as well. 

I was scheduled in for a total colectomy procedure where they removed my entire large colon and successfully rejoined my small intestine to the rectum. They also removed surrounding lymph nodes and had them tested for cancer cells. They came back positive which meant six months of chemotherapy needed to happen to give me the best chance.

I finished chemo in September 2024 and while it was the hardest thing I’ve gone through physically and mentally, I’m so glad I did it. I can happily say I currently have no evidence of disease. Life without a bowel definitely comes with its own challenges and the journey isn’t over, with regular surveillance scans and blood tests but I feel like I can breathe again.

Knowing everything I know now; my advice is especially for young people: this CAN happen to you. Please familiarise yourself with the symptoms and start talking to your friends and family about their bowel movements. Make it normal to talk about poo and check in on each other’s health.

We’ve lost too many beautiful souls to this horrible disease. You’re never too young and this isn’t an old person’s cancer. Learn the symptoms, get a check-up today and trust your gut if something doesn’t feel right.