Sooz S, 45

 
On September 4, 2023, I was diagnosed with rectal cancer at the age of 45. It was a shock to say the least, as I had no truly definitive symptoms other than some constipation while I was traveling in France, which I put down to eating amazing cheese and drinking rose. When I returned from France, my horse became very ill with salmonella, and I had gastro-like symptoms that I thought must have also been salmonella. A visit to the GP, followed by blood and stool tests, returned no unusual results, but I had a further attack of 'gastro, so my GP referred me to have a colonoscopy.

When I woke from the colonoscopy something seemed abnormal, as I wasn’t offered anything to eat or drink, and was told by the nurse that the gastroenterologist would be in to see me. I received the news from the gastroenterologist that he had located a tumour, but I took it in my stride, thinking 'Surgery will fix that, and I’ll move on'. I was sent to have a CT that evening and referred to a surgeon later that week. Prior to seeing the surgeon, I also had an MRI.

Unfortunately, the news from the surgeon was not good. The CT scan and MRI revealed that rectal cancer had metastasised to my uterus, pelvic lymph nodes, and my lungs. Surgery was not the preferred option straight away, and I was referred to an oncologist and had a PET scan. Ten days after what I thought would be a routine colonoscopy, I started Chemotherapy and was eternally grateful to live in a time and country where such treatment could commence so quickly.

I am generally a very happy and positive person and have taken that attitude into my treatment; I am confident there is nothing but a positive outcome for me. I can't imagine approaching the diagnosis and treatment any other way, but it was vital for my kids (aged 13 and 11) to see me as positive. I also really believe that a positive mindset can really affect wellness and well-being.

I started 6 rounds of Chemotherapy on 15 September 2023. Treatments are 2 weeks apart and each infusion lasts 3 days, which feels like a vigorous assault at times but my first follow-up PET scan after 3 rounds showed all tumours shrinking and activity decreasing. Excitingly, I now have a surgery date in December. Never before did I think I would be asking Santa for a bowel resection and a hysterectomy... I will still have another 6 rounds of chemotherapy after surgery but so far all is looking very positive.
 
I have not lost my hair and while chemo is not pleasant I am handling the side effects well. The largest side effect for me is crushing fatigue. I have not felt physically up to be able to work as a physiotherapist. I am lucky that I can take time off work.
My friends and family and my clients kept asking what they could do to help. I am very fortunate and have an amazing support network so I asked my friends and family to send me glimmers of Pink and orange that they saw through the day and I posted them to my Instagram it surrounded me with more love and positivity.
 
I also asked my friends and family to share my story to raise some awareness of early onset bowel cancer and also to ensure that if they were over 50 to use their screening tests. My friends took this further and created hats with #sooziesfloozies on them they are bright pink and so many people ask what the hats are about which results in my story being told. With early-onset colorectal cancer on the rise, I want to increase awareness about it and promote further research into why it is increasing.