Sarah Palfrey, West Sussex
I’m a busy, full time working single mum to two daughters. I’m living life with a completely new perspective after an unexpected bowel cancer diagnosis.
I was 43 when this all began — far too young for bowel cancer, or so I thought. I was fit, healthy, active, and had no family history of bowel cancer. I’d lost weight, was getting back into gentle exercise, and enjoyed being out and about with my daughters, who are now 18 and 13.
My diagnosis
In early 2025, I started experiencing intermittent stomach pains. After several GP visits and scans, gallstones were suspected, but nothing showed up and the pain eventually eased. Life carried on.
Then in October 2025, the pain returned suddenly and severely. I was sent to A&E, where a CT scan revealed a hernia and twisted bowel. I was booked in for what was expected to be a routine keyhole operation the following morning. That surgery changed everything.
During the procedure, my bowel was so badly twisted that it meant surgeons had to perform open surgery. It was only then when they opened me up fully that they discovered a large tumour in my bowel. The tumour had been hidden on earlier scans and blood tests.
The tumour was removed, along with surrounding bowel and lymph nodes. Laboratory results later confirmed it was a rare and aggressive stage 2 neuroendocrine bowel cancer.
I was told, very plainly, that if I hadn’t had the hernia – and if they hadn’t had to open my abdomen – the cancer may not have been found for another year or more. By then, it could have been far more advanced and potentially life threatening. That realisation still overwhelms me.
Just days into recovery, I became critically ill. My bowel leaked internally, leading to a dangerous infection and a second emergency operation that ultimately saved my life. I woke up with an ileostomy stoma.
As a young, healthy woman, I couldn’t believe I was suddenly fighting for my life.
Life after diagnosis
The months that followed were the hardest of my life. My body struggled badly with the stoma. I suffered severe dehydration, repeated kidney injury, and constant hospital admissions. I was frighteningly unwell, dangerously thin, and mentally exhausted.
I travelled to London for specialist care and PET scans, which showed a few unhealthy cells remaining — not active cancer but requiring close monitoring and possibly future treatment. Because I was so unwell from the stoma complications, chemotherapy wasn’t possible at that stage.
After six months, due to how poorly my body coped, doctors performed a stoma reversal in February 2026, earlier than planned. That procedure changed everything. For the first time, my body could properly absorb food, fluids, and medication again.
Recovery hasn’t been easy – infections and setbacks followed – but finally, in April 2026, I’m beginning to feel well again. I’m now under close surveillance, and there is hope that further treatment won’t be needed. I’m desperately hoping that remains the case.
A mother’s perspective
Throughout all of this, my daughters were incredible. They had to grow up fast. Family and friends stepped in to help keep their lives as normal as possible while I spent long stretches in hospital.
I’m immeasurably proud of their strength and resilience – and grateful beyond words for the support system that carried us through. I couldn’t have survived this without them.
Why I’m sharing my story
Before my diagnosis, bowel cancer simply wasn’t on my radar. Like so many people, I believed I was too young, too healthy – and ‘that sort of thing’ wouldn’t happen to me. Bowel health was a taboo subject. Now, I want to shout from the rooftops.
I want people to listen to their bodies, push for investigations if something feels wrong, not dismiss ongoing stomach pain or bowel changes, and understand how serious bowel cancer can be – even in younger people.
I also want to speak honestly about living with a stoma. For many, it’s lifesaving and life improving, and I respect that deeply. But for some of us, it comes with extreme complications. There is no shame in talking about how hard it can be.
Most importantly, I want people to know there can be light at the end of the tunnel.
Moving forward
This experience has changed me completely. I’m anxious about the future – of course I am – but I’m also filled with gratitude and a powerful new zest for life. I appreciate my children, my friendships, and every single ordinary day so much more now.
Once I’m fully recovered, I want to give back – by raising awareness, supporting others, and helping people feel less alone in their journeys.
I believe, wholeheartedly, that things happened the way they did for a reason. A hernia. A mistake. An unexpected discovery. All of it saved my life.
If sharing my story helps even one person push for answers, get checked earlier, or feel understood, then every difficult moment has been worth it.
My name is Sarah. I’m 44 years old. I survived bowel cancer – and I’m ready to live.
