Michelle Richardson, Doncaster
My son died of bowel cancer at the age of 28.
My son, Scott, first began to experience symptoms in June 2016. He complained to me about being bloated and having pain in his stomach. He also lost a lot of weight and experienced blood in the toilet when passing stools.
When he first visited the doctor because of his age they gave him some Buscopan saying that it could be irritable bowel syndrome. It was only after being in agonising pain and losing blood that he went to the emergency doctor who then told him to insist on having a colonoscopy.
The colonoscopy led to his diagnosis in January 2017, at the young age of 27. I was with him in the room when he was told. The doctors told us it was stage 4 and the cancer had already spread into his peritoneum.
After diagnosis my son had a colostomy bag fitted and started chemotherapy. The side effects of the chemotherapy were a really bad rash all over his face and body, plus loads of severe mouth ulcers.
In November 2017, my son had hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy treatment and was in Good Hope hospital for four weeks. We hoped this would prolong his life several years but sadly not.
They only gave him three years prognosis even after having treatment.
Going through this has brought our family devastation, panic and fear and I experience dreadful thoughts of losing my other son. I ended up on antidepressants, but they don't really take away any of the pain.
What we experienced, seeing our amazing son battle so hard but still lose his life, we don't ever want other families to go through that.
Pictured above: Michelle's son Scott, who sadly died of bowel cancer at the age of 28
