John Bestwick, Derbyshire

I was 48 when I was diagnosed with stage 2 bowel cancer on 17 February 2025. 

I consider myself to be a healthy, active bloke that eats well with no other health issues. I’m married to Carla and we have four wonderful kids between us: Archie, Georgie, Lyla and Jude. 

The colonoscopy 

In mid-2024 I went to get a mole checked which ended up being a malignant melanoma. I thought that was my cancer scare over with and carried on living my life, albeit being a bit more careful with sun exposure.  

On Christmas Day in 2024 I noticed some blood when I was wiping after going to the toilet. I had no other symptoms — I was eating well, had no loss of appetite and wasn’t tired at all. I noticed blood (not a lot) every few days but there was no pattern. I booked an appointment with my local GP. I went on holiday in the January but didn’t tell anyone about my symptoms. I didn’t want anyone to worry or put a downer on the holiday.  

When I returned from holiday, I went to the GP appointment. Thankfully, the GP didn’t hang about and sent me for a blood test, which came back fine, and a faecal immunochemical test (FIT). The FIT detected some blood in my poo, so I was referred for a colonoscopy. I was confident it was nothing, so much so that I postponed my planned colonoscopy to watch my team Nottingham Forest away at Exeter City in the FA Cup 4th round!  

The following week on 17 February, I underwent a colonoscopy appointment at Royal Derby Hospital. I wasn’t too worried due to my age and I had no other issues. During this procedure, the doctors found a polyp which was no issue... However, they also found something else which was more of a concern. 

Carla and I were called into a room after I’d been in recovery for 30 mins or so. The endoscopist explained that they had found a 2.5cm tumour which looked sinister. His ‘80% sure’ was confirmed once the results from the biopsy came back later that week. The tumour was classed as T3 at the time: stage 2. We drove back from hospital feeling numb. It was completely overwhelming. 

Post-diagnosis 

When I met with the consultant on 4 March, she explained that the tumour was operable, but I may have to have a stoma which I really didn’t want. Of more concern though was some shadows on my liver, noticed after the CT scan. We were told that these were probably evidence of metastases, but they weren’t sure whether it was spread from the rectal cancer or from the melanoma from the previous year. The situation seemed to be going from bad to worse. 

I had a PET scan at Nottingham City Hospital later that day. It was Carla’s birthday on 10 March and we drove back from North Wales early so I could get to my appointment with the consultant which was the next day. On the drive back, I remember all kinds of thoughts. Would it have been the last time I ever see my wife on her birthday? Would it be the last time I see my dog chasing birds on the beach? Will I get to see my kids grow up and have grandchildren? 

We met the consultant and she explained that the shadows on my liver were merely haemangiomas (benign blood vessels). It was a strange feeling as we felt like celebrating, even though I knew I had bowel cancer. We went for tapas to celebrate — it's amazing how cancer diagnosis changes your perspective. 

Having a stoma fitted – and reversed 

On 20 March 2025 I underwent a nine-hour robotic anterior resection where a loop ileostomy (stoma) was created at the same time. I was in hospital for 10 nights. It was a tough time. I became unwell because the stoma produced nothing for the first week post-operation. Everything I ate or drank was vomited back up and I had no appetite. In total, I lost three stones. Eventually I was sent for a scan. It revealed a tight area near the exit of the stoma, so a catheter was inserted. Within 30 minutes, 1.5 litres of waste came out. The relief was huge! My recovery continued at home, and I slowly but surely started to feel better and stronger. 

On 7 April I received a phone call: they had got all the cancer during the operation and the 24 lymph nodes they removed showed no sign of cancer. This meant I didn’t need chemotherapy or radiotherapy. This is when I broke down. I was so happy realising that I didn’t have to fight anymore, other than to recover from the operation, and that I would be able to see some of the things that I feared I wouldn’t be able to. 

I lived with a stoma for seven months and decided, even though I dreaded having it, it wasn’t too bad. Some people have to live with them forever and it can be a life saver for them. In the UK I went as far south as St. Ives and as far north as Edinburgh. I visited Greece. Italy and Germany. I decided that it would not define me, and if I had an accident, I learnt from it and carried on living. I was lucky enough to have a stoma reversal on 13 October 2025. 

I am getting used to my insides getting back to ‘normal’ again, although this is tricky because some bits I had before are now gone. The need to visit the toilet can be urgent and it tends to be very frequent. I’m now four weeks post operation and I feel good. I find that Loperimide helps bind stuff together and reduces the amount of toilet trips! 

Looking forward 

I feel positive about the future. I’m on a five-year surveillance program under the colorectal team and I have a lot of faith in them. After all, they saved my life. 

The consultants I encountered were fantastic and helped explain things in layman’s terms. The colorectal and stoma nurses were also invaluable. Sometimes it's hard to see any light in the dark times, but they certainly helped by explaining what I was going through was very normal and things would get better. My family and friends were all fantastic. My close family visited me in hospital every day at least once. It was so hard for them too and I’ll be eternally grateful for their love and support. 

My advice would be:

• Get tested early — don’t hang about if you think something is wrong.  

• Take someone with you to the big appointments — it’s difficult to concentrate with everything that is going on.

• Be honest with your kids — they aren’t daft and will often know if something is wrong.  

• Don’t let a stoma define who you are — just have a plan for each trip.  

• Don’t rush anything — take your time to recover. 

I’m using my experience to help raise money for Bowel Cancer UK, as a 100km continuous walk awaits me in June 2026 with my son Archie and my friends. This isn’t an easy challenge and we’ll be training a lot in the build-up so it’s a huge commitment! To support me and Bowel Cancer UK, you can visit my fundraising page.