A woman is fighting for her life after being diagnosed with a rare cancer that usually affects people three times older than her.
A woman is urging young people to “trust their gut” after her stage four bowel cancer symptoms were allegedly dismissed by doctors initially as food poisoning because of her age.
In November 2021, Jessica Thompson was struck down with painful cramps, diarrhoea and vomiting that was so severe, she rushed to the emergency department.
After being sent home with gastro medication, the 26-year-old from Auckland, New Zealand, thought she would feel better quickly – but her symptoms persisted into the following day.
Feeling even worse, she decided to seek help from a different hospital but was left without answers after claiming they did the exact same thing.
“I was in so much pain, the cramps were debilitating, and the vomiting and diarrhoea were so intense,” the sales associate said.
“I’ve had food poisoning before and this was nothing like that, and I also couldn’t think of anything that I’d eaten that could produce that type of reaction.
“Both times I was sent home from the hospital with some medication and without any answers. Something just didn’t feel right.”
Jessica experienced similar bouts of what she thought was food poisoning in December, and then again in January – but by that time she believed it could be IBS or gluten intolerance.
She also began experiencing shortness of breath, which is something she never had to deal with before.
Then in March 2022, she had another episode of stomach cramping that was so excruciating, she was forced to call an ambulance.
Jessica said at this point she knew something was wrong, as she had always been healthy but was now experiencing these new symptoms very frequently.
“I was by myself when I had sudden cramping, it was so painful that I thought I might pass out. I knew I had to call for help.
“Something was off; I knew having regular episodes like this couldn’t be normal.
“But I never imagined it could be as serious as what it was.”
Doctors instigated a round of different tests to get to the bottom of what was going on.
A blood test revealed Jessica’s haemoglobin was extremely low. After having four blood transfusions, Jessica went for a CAT scan, which revealed a stricture in the bowel – and while a colonoscopy showed there was a tumour, doctors did not know if it was malignant.
However, a blood test confirmed Jessica’s worst fears: She had bowel cancer.
“I vividly remember hearing the ‘C’ word for the first time and my heart just sank,” she said.
“I just couldn’t wrap my head around how this could be happening to me.
“Our family has no history of it, or of any stomach issues. It just came out of nowhere.
“I was in a state of shock and disbelief, but knew I had to fight.”
Jessica underwent emergency surgery to remove half her colon, which also revealed a small lump in fat tissue at the front of her colon, which was also cancerous.
Doctors then confirmed that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, meaning it was at stage four – and also discovered the tumour had a genetic mutation, making it rare.
Thankfully, surgeons were able to remove all of her tumours, and a PET scan showed there were no further cancer cells in her body.
Jessica is now undergoing chemotherapy, with doctors expecting her to make a full recovery.
“I still can’t believe that all of this has happened to me, but I also consider myself so lucky to have access to treatment.
“People don’t realise that you can get bowel cancer in your 20s, and that’s why I’m sharing my story. I really want to raise awareness.
“It’s so important to trust your gut, and keep pushing when you know something isn’t right. “You know your body best.
“This experience has made me appreciate the little things in life and see the world with a fresh perspective.
“Tomorrow is never guaranteed, so we need to make every day count.”
Originally published as Woman, 26, fighting for life after ‘old person’s cancer’ diagnosis
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