Mum of two, 44, suffers gut problem that affects everyone...15 months later she was dead from bowel cancer
Laura Dawson, 44, from London, suffered with bloating and fatigue for months before her diagnosis, which she suspected was linked to hormonal changes in her body.
But after the pain became so bad she 'could not move', she was rushed to A&E where scans revealed the true devastating cause.
Doctors removed the obstruction from her bowel that was causing the debilitating pain and a biopsy confirmed stage three cancer in March 2024.
This meant the disease had already spread to nearby lymph nodes.
While the family received a clear scan in August, following six months of chemotherapy, just a month later, Ms Dawson was told the cancer had spread further.
At stage four, only ten per cent of bowel cancer patients will survive five years after their diagnosis, according to Cancer Research UK.
Recalling the moment they got the devastating news, her husband, Ben, 49, said the family were heartbroken.
'In September we got the news that the cancer was back and it had spread.
'That was absolutely gut wrenching.'
Ms Dawson underwent more than six months of grueling chemotherapy.
But, unfortunately, this failed to bring the disease under control and the mother-of-two was only getting sicker.
Two months ago, Ms Dawson made the decision to discontinue treatment and spend what little time she had left surrounded by friends and family.
Shortly before her death, Ms Dawson was transferred to in-hospice care at St Christopher's Hospice in Sydenham, where she spoke about how the diagnosis changed her view on dying.
'Some of the happiest days of my life have been in the last few weeks,' she said.
'As a society, we shy away from the process of dying. By doing that, we reinforce negative ideas around death.
'People think death is always going to be painful and traumatic, but it doesn't have to be.
'Deep down we all know we are going to die. Cancer has forced me to acknowledge it. Since then I've lived more fully than I've ever done, and that has been a gift'.
She died 'peacefully' with her husband by her side on June 29.
Ben also commented on the impact the cancer had on their two sons, Jacob, 17, and Theo 15.
'We've spoken very openly about it all the way through', he said.
'We've always told them what the possible outcomes are—because we want to prepare them for what might happen and we want them to be able to trust what we're saying.
'That's definitely helped us throughout.'
He added that whilst his wife will be missed 'endlessly', the way she turned her story into something to help other people facing the death of a loved one was 'incredible'.
'I don't think there was a day that Laura truly let this get to her,' he said.
'They say people are glass half empty or glass half full. Laura was always happy enough just to have a glass and she wanted to share that with people.'
Ms Dawson's devastating story comes amid a rise in bowel cancer among young people, defined in cancer terms as those under 50.
Common symptoms of the disease include changes in bowel habits, blood in the stool, rectal bleeding, needing to go more frequently or with more urgency, abdominal pain, bloating, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.
A recent global study found rates of bowel cancer in under 50 year-olds are rising in 27 of 50 nations.
England is averaging a 3.6 per cent rise in younger adults every year-one of the highest increases recorded.
While the disease is known linked to obesity, experts have noted that the disease also seems to also be occurring in fit and healthy patients.
Some experts believe the explanation must lie in environmental factors young people have been exposed to more than previous generations.
There are around 2,600 new bowel cancer cases in people aged 25-49 in Britain every year, and around 44,100 new cases among all ages.
Around 44,000 cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed every year in the UK, with about 130,000 in the US.
The disease kills almost 17,000 Britons each year, with the death toll rising to about 50,000 in America.
Overall, just over half of bowel cancer patients are expected to be alive 10 years after their diagnosis.
Ms Dawson's family are now encouraging people to St Christopher's Hospice, or Cancer Research, and to take pleasure in the small things, because 'life can be cut short unexpectedly.'
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