Keith Chambers, Derby
My wife Jennifer was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer aged 47.
Jennifer and I were married for over 25 years. She was a dedicated mum to our three children and was the most precious gift we’ve had in our lives.
Jennifer had been going to the doctors with her symptoms for about three years. She didn’t feel right, had a pain in her tummy, and was shattered every single day. She was told her symptoms were down to various things, such as a hormone imbalance or the menopause, but she never felt this was right.
During lockdown, our daughter told me that Jennifer was constantly holding her tummy. This prompted me to force her to go back to the GP, although no real action came of this visit. She went back later that year, and this is when we had a breakthrough. They put her in touch with a menopause expert who, after a brief call, was adamant that this wasn’t the menopause. At this point, things started to move. Jennifer had blood tests, stool samples and a colonoscopy, which found a 4cm tumour. On 6 November 2020, aged only 47, Jennifer was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer.
Two weeks later, Jennifer underwent surgery as it was feared a blockage could occur. It was discovered that the cancer had spread to her liver and was deemed inoperable.
Jennifer began chemotherapy in January 2021. She had 12 cycles of irinotecan and opted for the cold cap, which was brutal, but ultimately allowed her to feel less vulnerable by keeping 75% of her hair. Her mental strength was immense. During a short break, her tumours increased which then ruled out any surgery to her liver, and so a planned 12 cycles of oxaliplatin ensued. This caused her platelets to drop drastically meaning cycles had to stop and start, and she managed 11 out of the planned 12 cycles.
Jennifer’s oncologist and medical team were brilliant and very caring. After two cycles in an NHS hospital, we moved to private care through her company medical scheme. Jennifer also had good support through the Bowel Cancer UK community online, where lots of help and advice was given. Through reading the online information, Jennifer was able to ask probing questions to her medical team and she was always her own advocate. To anyone going through treatment, I would recommend tapping into as many support services as possible.
In November 2023, things started to deteriorate. Ascites (a condition in which fluid collects in spaces within your abdomen) set in, and her weight loss became dramatic. Drains were fitted to help with this, but Jennifer passed away on 7 January 2024.
I’m so proud of my wife’s strength, courage, and absolute mental toughness to get through so many dark days. She was always smiling, and we miss her so much.
My wife was devastated when she was diagnosed because there had been so many missed opportunities to find out what was wrong. I feel cheated, and our children feel cheated. She did the right thing and went to her GP, but because of her age, they excluded bowel cancer as a possibility. Unfortunately, you’re never too young to get this disease.
Jennifer was always fit and healthy. She ate well, never smoked, and a drink for us would be two glasses of wine at the weekend; we often joked we could never finish a bottle between us. This disease was the last thing we ever thought would happen to us.
To anyone who may feel something isn’t right, please push harder if your GP says nothing is wrong. Book another appointment or ask to see a different doctor. Know your normal and advocate for yourself.
