Matt Eamer, Redhill

I was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer at the age of 39. This is my story.

In September 2020, over a period of just two weeks, I started having escalating abdominal pain. These were sharp stabbing pains that over the days became worse. I had a call with my GP on the Friday. We discussed my discomfort, and he recommended getting an ultrasound done. However, by the Sunday the pain had become so bad that I went straight to A&E. Before this, I had had no long-term symptoms.

I had no thoughts at all that my symptoms could be caused by cancer. At that stage I had very limited knowledge of bowel cancer and it simply felt like something ‘had got stuck’. I’d just celebrated my son’s second birthday and we’d had a barbecue. I joked that I’d probably eaten a bad sausage and was suffering the consequences of overeating!

An emergency CT scan requested by A&E showed an obstruction in my large intestine. My surgeon explained the need for an emergency operation, and a Macmillan nurse was present during this conversation. They discussed that the obstruction could be cancerous but was not necessarily so.

On Wednesday 16 September 2020 they took me in for the operation which is where they found and removed my primary tumour. It was probably a week after the emergency operation when I was told that I had cancer. By that time, I was recovering in a ward and I can remember my surgeon visiting accompanied by a couple of Macmillan nurses. They explained the initial tests had confirmed that what was removed was cancerous and that once I’m out of hospital some form of ‘mop-up’ chemotherapy would likely occur. At that point they were hopeful they’d got everything and the chemotherapy would just be precautionary.

A week or so after I returned home, I had a CT scan and MRI of my liver. Then some time passed, probably a couple of weeks, before I had an appointment. Despite lockdown having returned at this point, I had a face to face with my oncologist’s registrar. I’m glad it was a face to face as the news shared wasn’t positive. The scans showed the cancer had spread to my liver. I was now stage four. At this point in my diagnosis I didn’t know what a lot of these terms meant - so having some face to face time I was able to find the strength to ask the hard questions. I can recall the doctor showing me a form that had ‘palliative’ and ‘curative’ tick-boxes. He explained we were going to tick curative. I completely supported that! The liver mets looked to be contained, they were going to blast me with six months of intense chemotherapy with an aim to then resect the liver, removing the cancer. Things moved pretty rapidly after that, they called me about the further biopsy and BRAF mutation, moved me to folfoxiri and got me started on chemo within a few weeks.

Following a biopsy of the removed primary tumour it was identified that I was BRAF v600e which indicated it was a fast-growing tumour. Therefore, my first line chemotherapy was folfoxiri. This is a very aggressive chemotherapy regime. The aim was to do six months on this to get metastases in the liver under control. Then surgeons would go in and remove part of the liver. I lost my hair, had ‘first bite’ pain when I ate, couldn’t manage cold surfaces or environments well, and it hurt to cry (tear duct pain). I also had an upset stomach, challenging sleep, confusion, aches, and exhaustion. Yet it was also completely manageable, the 14-day cycle had a routine, a predictable pattern. I’d have treatment on Wednesday, work Thursday and Friday, then the steroid wore off and the weekend hit me for sleep. By day 14 I would feel ‘normal’ and then it all started again.

I’m now on ‘beacon’ (Cetuximab and Encorafenib). I’m coming up to 18 months of this and it is so much easier than traditional chemotherapy. I’ve mild neuropathy in my feet from first line oxaliplatin but other side effects from my current treatment are completely manageable.

I was referred to the genetics service to discuss and identify any history of bowel cancer in my family, but none was identified. I was also tested for Lynch syndrome, the result of which came back negative.

The team at the hospital where I’ve been treated have been excellent and super responsive. I’ve also spent a lot of time swatting up and becoming my own promoter of support. Unfortunately, having spoken with many other patients, I’ve found that care is very inconsistent across the UK. What is clear is that you do need to lobby for attention and work the system to be heard, listened to and prioritised.

I run a creative agency called me&you. Therefore, as a director I was able to take off the time that was needed for treatment, operations and recovery. Yet also, because we are only a small team, I did have to support projects and guide my team even when in hospital. We’ve actually become a stronger team as a result. Our work has become less dependent on ‘what’s in my head’ and we’ve employed an account/project manager, so the day-to-day work doesn’t need me so much. My team has been and continues to be excellent.

My life has absolutely changed since my diagnosis, and in so many ways. My wife and I did a ‘life audit’ and considered significant changes but chose to keep a lot of things the same, for us, for our children and for our wellbeing. It’s made some choices easy; we’ve focussed on special and meaningful times together. It’s also changed my perspective on life, on what really matters. I’ve discovered I have more grit, determination and optimism than I realised. I’ve stopped putting off things. In some ways I’ve simplified things but not too much - we have statements written on our fridge and accept that cancer is part of our life, but it does not define me. I still have other purposes, goals and reasons for being alive.

I’m a fairly active member and contributor on Bowel Cancer UK’s stage four group on Facebook. When someone joins who is BRAF or is starting on beacon, I try and support them and highlight what’s worked for me. I’ve also gotten involved in fundraising via sponsored birthdays, through my business me&you and general promotions throughout the years. We’ve raised about £3,000 so far – and we did the charity’s quiz night during lockdown, which we really enjoyed!