Anita Lee, Tiverton
I was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer and Lynch syndrome in August 2024, aged 51.
I’m a mum of two beautiful girls named Zena and Penni and at the time was planning to marry my now husband Kris, which I did on 31 May 2025.
I had no symptoms at all; I’d actually gone to see my GP about a different problem. My doctor arranged a blood test and it came back showing that I had anaemia. They recommended a FIT test that also came back positive, and then I was referred for a colonoscopy, which was painful. It was then I started to panic.
I had just finished a temporary job in a mobile site for endoscopy, so I had a good idea of what was happening and I saw the tumour myself on the results. It was then that I was diagnosed. I cried until I was back on the recovery bay.
When I was diagnosed, my first thought was “How bad is this?” I was just a normal 51-year-old, planning a wedding. My two daughters and fiancé, even myself, was shocked by my diagnosis. You just never think it will happen to you.
The time scale seems so long after you have your CT scan. There were nodules in my lungs that needed to be monitored, but no growth, so that was excellent news. My tumour needed robotic surgery, which I had on the 21 October 2024, two months after my diagnosis. Thankfully my bowel was reattached, so I didn’t need a stoma.
My tumour was also tested for Lynch syndrome, which came back positive. I have the PMS2 variant, which to be honest feels the better one. My daughters have been referred to genetics, as they have a 50/50 chance of having this too. It turns out that we have a rare syndrome in my family called Devon polyposis syndrome.
As two lymph nodes came back cancerous, the doctors advised chemotherapy. I agreed four rounds of chemo; I was more scared of that than surgery. I didn’t lose my hair, but I had terrible side effects, temporarily losing my ability to swallow, speak and walk to name just a few. The oncologist warned me that some side effects could be permanent. I just hated every moment. Even the chemo tablets were horrible. I felt ill and run down, but every day I got up, showered and did what I could. In the end, we agreed that three rounds of chemo would be enough.
Six months on, I still have regular screening scans, but I also have a full-time job, and have got back to walking my dog, yoga and meditation. I’m feeling like me again and got married in May 2025.
I understand that I was very lucky my cancer was caught early even though I didn’t have symptoms, and this is not the case for everyone. I feel blessed that I have a great doctor who picked up on it and acted fast. I will be thankful to him forever. The medical team were fantastic and my family and friends have been amazing too. I knew nothing at all about bowel cancer for this, but Bowel Cancer UK’s stories and advice really helped.
I would say to anyone facing this, there is support out there in many forms, so please seek it if you need it and stay strong. The most important thing is to get a diagnosis and catch cancer fast before it catches you.
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