Ann-Marie, Australia

I was diagnosed with stage IV bowel cancer in October 2023. I had a ruptured bowel and metastases to my ovaries. I was in so much pain. Initially I was told the rupture was due to a fish bone and that the tumour on my ovaries was benign. I suffered for ten days not improving until I was finally transferred  to the Wesley Hospital in Brisbane and correctly diagnosed and treated. It has been a long road through numerous surgeries and treatments but I have been so blessed to have my childhood best friend there to support me every step of the way. Sadly she was also receiving treatment for stage IV bowel cancer and after three years of fighting every day, and endless rounds of chemotherapy, she has been told she has days to live. Bowel cancer is increasingly taking young people at our prime. We need more funding for earlier diagnosis and community education. Most often when symptoms appear we are already at the late stages. I am heartbroken and hope for a future where young people can be diagnosed early and recover fully from this cruel disease.