Sam Yiollaris, Gloucestershire

I was diagnosed with stage 2 bowel cancer in March 2024, aged 49.

In the months leading up to my diagnosis, I struggled to swallow food at times, noticed minimal blood when going to the toilet and felt extremely tired. I assumed the exhaustion was due to working two jobs and my visa application pressures, as I was applying for my Indefinite Leave to Remain application.

My husband encouraged me to see the GP. They were very proactive and immediately gave me a FIT test. I handed it in the same day. Within days, I was referred for a colonoscopy. During the appointment, they immediately found something suspicious. A short while later, I was sitting in a room hearing the word “cancer.” It’s a conversation nothing prepares you for. I don’t think I quite fully digested the information they were telling me.

After MRI and CT scans and two weeks of intense waiting, I was told it hadn’t spread. That moment was of overwhelming relief. It was probably the worst two weeks of my life waiting for those results.

I hadn’t mentally prepared for cancer. Looking back, I don’t think I ever quite processed the information like I would have usually done. It almost felt like it was happening to someone else. At the same time, when I learned it hadn’t spread, I felt incredibly blessed and relieved.

I had a laparoscopic low anterior resection and lived with an ileostomy for 252 days. I had a high output ileostomy and experienced repeated dehydration, leaks and skin breakdown. My mental health deteriorated terribly and quickly. I was later diagnosed with a rectovaginal fistula and other complications. I was unable to work for a long period due to my health. The physical challenges were relentless, but the psychological impact was just as hard. Living with an ileostomy changed how I saw myself, how I functioned daily and how safe I felt in public spaces.

In December 2024, I had a successful reversal after the fistula healed. The recovery was challenging. I struggled with severe diarrhoea at first. I was scared to go to the toilet and outside. I now live with LARS (Low Anterior Resection Syndrome). Every day is about management and adaptation. It’s a new normal, but it's improving.

I'm incredibly grateful and blessed to be cancer free. I still manage LARS and ongoing bowel challenges, but I’m rebuilding strength and adjusting to life after cancer and reversal surgery. I lean on my faith that carries me through. The experience permanently changed me. It made me aware of how fragile health can be and how short life is and how fortunate we are in the UK to have access to treatment and ostomy supplies.

After my reversal, I made a decision. During my time with a high output ileostomy, I had access to specialist nurses, consistent supplies and medical support. I later discovered that in most parts of Africa and South Africa, ostomates are forced to reuse bags for weeks or improvise with bread packets and crisp packets because they cannot afford proper supplies. That reality stayed with me. I was able to put myself in their shoes. I could have been part of this, had I been back home. I have since registered a charity called Footprints 2 Africa. We collect unused ostomy supplies across the UK and distribute them to under-resourced patients in partnership with a non-profit organisations and under resourced hospitals across Africa.

Cancer took something from me but it also gave me purpose. If there is one message I would leave people with, it's this: Get checked, get screened. Early action saved my life. Don’t ignore any symptoms. And when you come through something life altering, you can turn pain into purpose.