The year 2012 I turned 40 and I thought the year was going to be one of my best years. I have two beautiful daughters who at the time were 4 years and 2 1/2 years old. I started feeling very tired every day. I just put it down to having young children and being a busy mum/wife. I had low iron for many years too so I thought it must have been that as well.

One day I notice blood on my pants but in the next two days it went away. Soon I started having gas and felt pressure to go to the toilet a lot and saw blood in the stool.

After a week I thought something just wasn’t right . I went to my GP and he thought it was haemorrhoids.

I got a blood test and my iron was still low so he sent me off to see a specialist.

Colonoscopy booked in and found out that I had stage 3 bowel cancer.

First thought was I’ll never see my girls grow up ... but my body went into fighting mode. I had to fight this for my girls!! We found that 26 lymph nodes were cancerous too.

Key hole surgery and 6 months chemotherapy. 6 months later cancer had spread to my peritoneal area.

Once again I had to fight but fight even harder now. I had major surgery and ended up with a temporary ileostomy/colostomy bag. It was the most frightening thing to see at first but I adapted to having it within weeks.

Another 6 months chemotherapy - this time oral.

10 months later, I had ileostomy reversed.

Today I am 6 years cancer free.

My body will never be the same but I’m still here and kicked cancer's ass.

I think back to the years were I was always feeling sick in my tummy and tired and now know that it was the cancer which I had growing inside me for 5 years.