Maxine Langley, Cumbria

I was diagnosed with stage 2 bowel cancer in May 2025, at the age of 50.

An unexpected diagnosis

I'm a wife, mam and nana, and I have worked with children since I was 16, apart from the time I took off to have my own children. I have been a teaching assistant for around 28 years and became a higher-level teaching assistant (HLTA) in 2015.

Working with children is incredibly rewarding. It isn't always an easy job, but being part of their journey, watching them grow and seeing them ready to move on is such a privilege.

After turning 50 in February 2025, I was determined to get back to the old me again. The previous year, I had a hysterectomy, which had knocked me both physically and mentally. So, when I turned 50, I thought to myself: “This is my year.”

Not long after, I was invited to take part in the bowel cancer screening programme. I didn’t have any symptoms, so I told my daughter I wasn’t pooing on a stick and posting it off. She persuaded me to do it, and in the end, I did. I was shocked when it came back that I needed further investigations.

The thought of a camera procedure terrified me and when the hospital rang with the appointment I cried. They arranged a different test: a type of X-ray which used a balloon. I had the X-ray and waited for my results. Eventually, I got a call to say doctors didn’t think it was cancer, but I had a polyp and it needed to be removed.

The medical team explained that the polyp was in the lower part of my bowel, and that they’d do a sigmoidoscopy. I was terrified, but I went in for my appointment during May half term.

Back in the recovery area, I was asked if I wanted my husband. I knew then something was wrong.

We were taken into a side room and the surgeon and two other people came in. He said he couldn’t remove the polyp because it looked suspicious and could be cancer. He arranged more tests: a CT and an MRI.  

A stressful time for family

I felt shocked because I had no symptoms, but I had bigger things to worry about – like our new baby grandson being in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In the same week I received the news I potentially had cancer, my daughter had gone into pre-term labour at just 25 weeks and was rushed to the James Cook hospital. Our little miracle, Arthur Bear, was born a few days later, weighing a tiny 1lb 8oz and fighting for his life.

Weeks passed. My husband Garry and I would work all week and then travel three hours at the weekend to visit my daughter, son-in-law and grandson at the hospital.

At the end of June, I went to the hospital in Carlisle and was told by a consultant that he thought I had cancer. I was given two choices: transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) or a lower anterior resection (LAR), with a temporary ileostomy as a possibility.

We were taken to a room where two nurses waited for me. I cried as my son held my hand. How could this be happening? Why was life so unfair?

We had to decide as a family which operation I was having. My understanding was that if I chose the TAMIS and it turned out to be cancer, I would then need a second operation to have the LAR. Knowing this, I decided to go ahead with the LAR, rather than potentially face two major operations.

I waited until the end of term for my operation because I wanted to see the children in my class finish their year and move on to secondary school. We were putting on a production of The Lion King as their leavers' performance and I wasn't missing that. In fact, I even stood in for Mufasa at one point!

On Thursday 24 July I had my operation and woke up with an ileostomy. But I didn't find out for definite that it was cancer until around three weeks after my operation.

I came out of hospital a few days later. It was our wedding anniversary and our little Arthur had just been moved to a special care baby unit closer to home.

The support I received

I faced some very difficult days following my surgery and cried a lot. I hated my body and it took time to adjust to the bag. On top of that, the burning skin, the hernia and the constant fatigue got to me.

But my husband was my rock throughout – he was my best friend and I wouldn’t have got through that period without him. Whenever I cried or doubted myself, he was there to pick me back up.

I was also incredibly lucky to have some wonderful friends, many of them work colleagues, who supported me through some very difficult times. I feel very lucky to have had so many people around me who genuinely care.

I also found support through the Bowel Cancer UK website and their Facebook groups. I’ve kept in touch with people I met through my treatment, including a lady who was in hospital at the same time as me, and a man who had his operation on the same day. It’s good to talk to people who just “get it”.

Where I am now

My work has also been incredibly supportive. I returned on a phased basis and was back working full time before Christmas last year. I even managed to go on the school residential trip to Edinburgh in June, which felt like a real milestone.

We've recently returned from Salou with our little bear, Arthur, who never fails to put a smile on our faces. Watching him grow after everything he has been through has been incredible. And there is more to look forward to. Our son and his girlfriend are expecting their first baby in November, so we have another grandchild on the way. Being here to see our grandchildren grow up is something I will never take for granted.

I recently had the results of a CT scan, which showed no evidence of disease. It's such a relief. Hopefully, in the near future, I'll be able to have a reversal of my ileostomy.

There are still difficult days and worries about what the future holds, but I try to stay positive and look forwards rather than back.

I remember when I was scared about a procedure and Garry told me to be “Arthur brave”. That is what I've tried to do ever since.

I've been through a lot, but I'm still here, surrounded by people who love me and with so much to look forward to. My biggest piece of advice is simple: if a bowel cancer screening test comes through your door, do it.

I nearly didn't. I had no symptoms. I felt completely well. But that little test found something that could've been missed.

Garry has just sent his own screening test off too. After everything we've been through, he knows how important it is.

It could just save your life.