Hannah Bailey

I'm fundraising for Bowel Cancer UK

In 2015 my mum was diagnosed with Stage 3 Bowel Cancer. I am sure like most families, to be told your Mum/parent/loved one has cancer, completely crushes your world, as it did mine! My Mum is the glue that holds our family together and to be told to ‘prepare for the worst’ by doctors, meant potentially our Mum wouldn’t be here for much longer to be that glue. Mum went through copious amounts of appointments with doctors, consultants, tests, procedures, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery (twice!) and lost her hair during the process. She remained the fun, outgoing, cheery self, entertaining us all throughout the years all while going through the pain, tiredness, loss of feeling in her hands and toes, which still affects her to this day. Seeing your Mum go through all of that was horrible for us all, but she never let it defeat her, she stayed strong and fought it and in 2017 was told she was in remission. The year my daughter was born. Amazing news, we could all breathe a sigh of relief, but for Mum she then had the constant fear that it would come back! For years afterwards I wasn’t able to say the word Cancer without it triggering me mentally and emotionally. This changed in 2023, when I read a book ‘the ladies cancer running club’ by Josie Lloyd. Initially I only got the book as I was on Holiday and was running out of a read, and had started running more seriously so thought it would be a good read, but it helped me overcome the word Cancer and I’m now able to say it more freely without it putting me back in my Mum and Dads Kitchen in 2015 and being told she had cancer.

Fast forward to the end of 2023 and I myself started to get symptoms similar to what Mum had experienced at the early stages. I tried to do everything I could to get rid of them but nothing was helping. I spoke to a doctor about it who did some checks and was confident nothing was wrong and it would go away. It didn’t! My Mum decided to book me in with a private consultant in 2024 who did further tests and nothing was showing but he couldn’t be sure without a Colonoscopy. My symptoms started to fade and I put it to the back of my mind, until a few months later when different symptoms started to appear so again I spoke to a doctor, this time, she booked me in for blood tests, urine and stool samples. After they lost them a few times and the Lab requested more, oh and me passing out a few times as I don’t like blood test!, the results come back that I had Blood in my Stool samples and the dreaded words came ‘I am going to refer you to the Cancer Department’. First thing I did was call my Mum (who was out having lunch with a friend at the time!), and told her what they said. I broke down in tears and she came over straight away. All I could think of at the time is id rather it be me than anyone else in my family, including my 7 year old daughter. I put on a brave face for the 1/2 weeks leading up to my pre assessment appointment and tried to think positively… surely, if It was cancer, id be dead by now… my Mum got through it so will I…. its just constipation, stop being dramatic!!

The day came of my Pre Assessment and id be lying if I wasn’t nervous. I stayed very quiet and let the nurse tell me all about what was going to happen. She gave me a brown package which contained solution and instructions ready for my Colonoscopy. I had to eat certain foods for a few days, then it was booked in! Wednesday 1^st May at 09:00am. Mum drove me in, we sat giggling and talking about what was going to happen and how it will all be over soon and everything was going to be fine. My name was called and in I went alone, had a canular ready for the sedation and got into my hospital gown. Around 30 minutes later, which felt like days, my name was called and off I trotted for my Colonoscopy. I was in a lot of pain during the procedure and the sedation didn’t work on me so had to have gas and air too. After the procedure had finished, I remember looking up at the Doctor, and said ‘is it cancer’, he replied No and I fell into a deep sleep. It was like relief had taken over my body and said rest now. I came around as I went onto the ward to recover, was given water and had to wait around a little as my blood pressure had dropped (told you, stop being dramatic, it was all going to be fine!) but was eventually let out to my Mum who was waiting where we had been giggling earlier on, she stood straight up, I don’t know what she was thinking but as we was walking out I said, there’s no cancer she let out a sigh of relief.

My body is still not 100% and I still struggle with my gut, but I am on the mend, making progress and most of all, it’s not Cancer! I have recently starting swimming after a back injury (always something going on!) and thought what a great way to challenge and push myself and to raise money for all those patients who are having Symptoms, being told they might or do have cancer, going through treatments, for those we lost along the way. Please donate as much or as little as you can, not for me, not for my Mum but for them!