In April 2025 I started feeling unwell. I thought I was experiencing burn out from work or just had a stomach bug. But I didn’t get better, I kept getting worse.
My twin sister (who is a doctor) got me in to see a GP, who ordered a bunch of tests. Which came back that I had gastro, so I was just recovering from that.
A month went by, I still wasn’t getting better. I was constantly nauseous, fatigued, struggling to eat. I lost a lot of weight. I went back to my GP; and he suggested from my test results to take an antibiotic. A couple days later, I started getting bright red blood in my stool. I called my GP, and he referred me to get a colonoscopy.
I remember the moment after my colonoscopy very clearly. The doctor taking me and my partner into his office and sitting us down. He started by saying ‘Thank God you’re here’.
I thought he was making a joke, but he then proceeded to show me photos of a tumour he found. After scans, I found out I had Stage 3 rectal cancer, with an advanced tumour in my rectum.
Three months of chemotherapy, five weeks of radiation, and now I am days away from having surgery to remove the tumour.
This isn’t what I was planning to be going through as a 25/26-year-old. I celebrated my 26th birthday the week after my first round of chemo.
But life is still going on, and I hope to soon be able to say I’m cancer free.
My one piece of advice:
If you feel like something is off, go see your doctor. Advocate for yourself, and if you aren’t heard, find another doctor. Easier said than done I know.
May 2026 Update
I found out last week that my post-surgery scans and tests showed no signs of any remaining cancer.
Very exciting and I’m very relieved that this is the end of my cancer journey.
