For months, Shannin Pain struggled with debilitating nausea, sharp abdominal pain, and dramatic changes in her digestion. But despite repeated trips to doctors, the 26-year-old from Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, says her concerns were repeatedly brushed aside.

What was initially dismissed as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or anxiety ultimately turned out to be far more serious and could end her life before she reaches her 30s.

“I knew something wasn’t right,” Pain said, per The Sun. “But I kept hearing it was IBS or stress. My gut, literally, was screaming at me.”

Her symptoms began in late 2023, with persistent nausea after meals and difficulty passing stool. “I went from being completely regular to barely going at all,” she said, per The Express.

“And when I did, my stool was pencil-thin, which, I know might be TMI, but was a huge red flag.”

She also experienced intense, stabbing cramps in her lower left abdomen that left her doubled over in pain.

Still, she says physicians tested her for conditions like Crohn’s disease and coeliac, but never suggested a colonoscopy.

Eventually, she was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer.

“Colon cancer is so treatable if caught early,” she said. “But no one thought to check because of my age.”

It was first discovered when an MRI meant to rule out more serious issues uncovered a full intestinal blockage.

She was admitted to hospital for emergency surgery, where doctors discovered a tumor in her colon. Subsequent surgery revealed the cancer had spread to her right ovary, which was removed, along with 13 lymph nodes, 11 of which tested positive for cancer, and part of her peritoneum, The Mirror reports.

Doctors diagnosed her with a Krukenberg tumor, a rare secondary cancer that originates in the gastrointestinal tract and spreads to the ovaries. Her liver was also affected, making surgical removal of those tumors impossible.

Pain underwent fertility preservation ahead of treatment, successfully freezing seven eggs in May. “Losing my fertility while fighting for my life was a devastating thought,” she said. “Being able to save those eggs gives me hope for the future.”

With the cancer classified as advanced and inoperable, she was told she had three months to live without chemotherapy, and potentially up to three years with it.

Since then, she’s completed 27 rounds of chemo, despite suffering life-threatening allergic reactions to one of the drugs. Her current regimen includes immunotherapy and a take-home chemotherapy pump. A recent scan in June brought some optimism: her condition was stable, with no new liver growths, per Nottinghamshire Live.

Pain is now exploring integrative treatments abroad. She’s working with a Swiss naturopathic oncologist to identify therapies specifically tailored to her cancer cells. If tests show promise, she plans to begin treatment in Sweden, but the costs are entirely out of pocket.

She’s launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds (which, at the time of writing, is just $5,000 CAD away from its target) and shares updates through her TikTok account to spread awareness.

“I’m not ready to give up,” she said. “If my story helps even one person get diagnosed earlier, it will have been worth it.”

Featured image credit: LaylaBird / Getty Images.

A woman has issued an urgent warning after what she believed was a simple stomach bug picked up on vacation turned out to be colorectal cancer.

Marie McGrath, 52, from Northern Ireland, said she was left in shock after a colonoscopy revealed the diagnosis.

The active mum recalled the moment doctors delivered the life-changing news and admitted she struggled to process what she was hearing.

"[I thought] she can't really be saying these words to me," she told BBC Northern Ireland. "This is a tummy bug."

Bowel cancer appears to be on the rise. Credit: SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty

McGarth said she "went a bit blank" when doctors told her they had found "something of a significant size and of a significant concern".

What made her case even scarier is that she did not experience the usual symptoms linked to the cancer, which can include changes in bowel habits, abdominal pain, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, or blood in stool.

"Bowel cancer [colorectal cancer] was not on my radar,” she added. "Bowel cancer, for me, if there were tick boxes, I wouldn't be ticking any boxes."

The Mom Calls for Earlier Screening

McGrath now believes her diagnosis may have been missed if not for her doctor’s personal experience with the disease.

Her GP, Dr. Jonny Dillon, had previously been diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 49 and also showed no obvious symptoms, undergoing surgery just after turning 50.

Reflecting on how easily her condition could have gone undetected, McGrath said: “I’m wondering, would I have made it to 60 if I hadn’t got the GP [physician] circumstances at the time?

"Had my symptoms maybe been put down to irritable bowel, for example, that could’ve been ongoing and ongoing and ongoing for a much longer period of time. What would my chances have been then?” she said, adding that the possibility of misdiagnosis frightened her “very much.”

Her experience has prompted her to question current screening policies in Northern Ireland, where routine bowel cancer screening is offered between the ages of 60 and 74

"If much younger people are being affected, why is the threshold so high for us to be diagnosed and diagnosed at an early stage? It just is unfathomable to me,” she said.

Why Early Detection Matters

Health experts say bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK, and early detection can dramatically improve survival rates.

Screening is usually carried out using a faecal immunochemical test (FIT), a home kit that checks for hidden blood in stool samples.

It can detect the disease before symptoms pop up and identify polyps that may later develop into cancer.

However, concerns have been raised that screening opportunities are being missed. In Northern Ireland, people aged between 50 and 59 are currently excluded from routine screening, potentially missing multiple chances for early detection.

"This isn't screening for a head cold. This is screening for cancer. This is screening for a condition that could result in major surgery or even take your life," Dillon said.

Campaigners have warned that delays in diagnosis can have serious consequences, as many cases are only identified at later stages.

More than nine in 10 people can survive bowel cancer if it is caught early, but currently, "one in four people are currently diagnosed in A&E" when the disease is more advanced.

Officials say plans are in place to expand screening and lower the eligible age.

Featured image credit: SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty

A heartbroken dad-of-3 took his own life after using his late wife's cancer medicine.

On October 10, Adam Thompson, 39, was found dead at home in Mulbarton, Norfolk, by his father after he failed to show up for work, as reported by Daily Mail.

The tragedy comes four months after his wife Lucy, 44, sadly passed after her five-year battle with breast cancer, after first being diagnosed in February 2018. Around the same time of her death, Adam also suffered the loss of a close family member and his pet dog.

The father, who had run Reality Estate Agent in Norwich alongside Lucy, was his wife's primary carer and "shared her pain" to the very end, according to family.

At Norfolk Coroner’s Court, grieving family members described the late man as "devoted" to his wife, whom he had been in a relationship with for 11 years.

In a statement read to the coroner, his family said: "Adam was loving, kind, and caring; a loving, devoted father, son, brother, and husband. He was very much loved by all, and he always had time for everyone and had many, many friends," per Eastern Daily Press.

They went on to describe him as a man who "worked very hard, played hard," and enjoyed sports, especially golf, and added that after Lucy's death, Adam "didn't know how to go on" after losing his rock.

"Adam was so devastated with losing his wife. He would say he did not know how to go on without Lucy. He just wanted to be with her," they said, adding that they "loved and missed" him with all their hearts.

The couple tied the knot in Norwich Cathedral in July 2019 after Lucy had been given the all-clear by doctors. But in June 2020, she was told she had numerous tumors on her liver, caused by secondary breast cancer.

The inquest heard that after Lucy told doctors she wanted to spend her last days at home, so she was given painkillers which remained at the residence after her passing.

The cause of Adam's death was an overdose, Norfolk Coroner's Court heard. "Adam had access to all of this medication and four months after Lucy passed away, he used all of Lucy’s medication to take his own life feeling he had no other options," the family revealed in their statement.

Before the couple's deaths, they raised £14K ($17K) for the Big C cancer campaign with a series of fundraising events.

Lucy was described by her family as "everyone's hero, life and soul of the party and will forever be missed." They also applauded her bravery throughout her cancer battle and requested everyone to donate on her behalf to cancer charities.

Adam's father, Nigel Thompson, opened up about his heartbreaking in a poignant statement to his son, sharing: "Adam was a gifted and talented person, a loving husband, father, brother and friend who created a warm and welcoming atmosphere to anyone who came into his presence."

"He was such a fun-loving and caring person and would be the first to reach out when somebody was in need. Adam was full of life in so many ways," he continued, adding that his son stayed by Lucy's side throughout her cancer battle and "shared her pain right to the end".

"Each loss chipping away at this loving and caring person. All his beloved treasure taken from him; all the plans, the aspirations, lost. Life suddenly lost its purpose and there was no point anymore," he concluded.

Our thoughts are with Adam and Lucy's family and friends at this devastating time.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org 

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A toddler has tragically passed away on family vacation after her appendicitis was misdiagnosed as tonsillitis, her family has claimed.

Isla Sutcliffe, a two-year-old girl from Jersey, was in Turkey with her parents and sister when she suddenly fell ill and was seen by a medic at their hotel, as reported by Daily Mail.

According to her parents, Ryan Sutcliffe and Laura Carolan, the doctor initially believed that Isla's pain was due to tonsillitis, however, her mom explained that the discomfort was in her daughter's stomach, not her throat.

The following day, Ryan and Laura took their little girl to the hospital as her condition continued to deteriorate. They were then greeted by the same medic who was adamant that Isla just had tonsillitis.

Family friends have alleged that the unidentified health professional insisted that Isla was fit to be discharged with Nurofen and travel back to the Channel Island that night.

However, once at the airport, it was reported that the worried parents noticed that their child had become gravely ill so they rushed her to a hospital in an ambulance, per Metro.

A close family friend Taylor Kearns explained under a GoFundMe: "Isla deteriorated drastically resulting in an ambulance having to take her to hospital from the airport, to be told that it was appendicitis & sepsis, the appendix then ruptured resulting in the unimaginable."

"[The family] will all be returning back to Jersey shortly," they added.

A fundraiser page has now been set up by Taylor to "Help Isla's family following her passing in Turkey," and as of this writing, it has amassed £39,555 ($50,000) - exceeding the £25,000 (£30,000) target.

The donations will "help alleviate some of the financial stress that comes with such an unexpected loss," and support the grieving family with the travel, funeral, and ongoing expenses they are now facing during this incredibly difficult time.

"Isla brought so much joy and laughter into the lives of those who knew her. Her radiant smile and infectious spirit will forever be etched in our hearts," Taylor wrote. "Tragedies like this are unimaginable, and no family should ever have to endure such pain, let alone in a foreign country away from all family & friends, knowing she could have been saved if it weren't for the poor medical care provided and misdiagnosis."

"The last thing we want is for [the family] to worry about financial matters while grieving," it continued. "Your generous contribution will make a meaningful difference. Every donation, no matter the size, will go a long way in helping them honor Isla's memory and give her a dignified farewell."

"Your support will help the family focus on healing and finding strength in one another," the message concluded.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office told DailyMail that they are "assisting the family of a British child who has died in Turkey."

Our thoughts are with Isla's family at this devastating time.

Featured image credit: JazzIRT / Getty

A 22-year-old woman who was diagnosed with bowel cancer has opened up about the symptoms that she ignored.

Charlotte Lasica from Sydney started getting stomach pain and cramps in early 2024, and she didn’t think much of it.

Like so many young women, she assumed it was just period cramps or something she ate.

“I was putting it down to my menstrual cycle or just something that didn't agree with my belly,” she recalled.

But by July, the cramps became relentless, and her bloating got worse. A friend, studying to be a doctor, urged her to get checked.

“One of my good family friends is studying to be a doctor, and she saved me in a way. She pushed me, she said: 'You need to go get checked.'”

That push may have saved Charlotte’s life.

Tests in August revealed that Charlotte had stage three bowel cancer.

The disease had already spread to her nearby lymph nodes.

“My gastroenterologist tried to reassure me, saying no it's not bowel cancer, you're too young,” Charlotte told ABC News.

“Then I went in for my colonoscopy and got the news that it was bowel cancer. I was his youngest patient he's ever had to tell the news to, so he was in complete shock as well.”

Bowel cancer, which kills tens of thousands each year in the UK and the US, is the fourth most common cancer in both countries, with around 44,000 cases annually in the UK and 142,000 in the US, per the Daily Mail.

Symptoms to watch for include consistent diarrhoea or constipation, needing to poo more or less frequently, blood in stool, stomach pain, lumps in the stomach, bloating, unexpected weight loss, and fatigue.

Doctors urge anyone experiencing these symptoms to seek medical advice.

In September 2024, Charlotte underwent a total colectomy, a major surgery where her entire colon was removed, resulting in a temporary ileostomy.

She admitted it was hard to adjust: “I couldn't look at it for two months, I couldn't look at it. I refused. In hospital I had my stoma nurse come around and say to me, 'you're not leaving until you can change it yourself' and I said 'I'm not doing it'.”

But over time, she found a way to live with it.

“I couldn't do it. But now it's just my thing. People wake up in the morning and they put their glasses on to see or they check their glucose. I just go 'this is my thing' and it's not going to be forever. It has essentially saved my life,” she said.

Charlotte endured eight rounds of gruelling chemotherapy over six months, and last month, she received the news everyone dreams of: her CT scan results showed she was officially cancer-free.

Now, she’s using her story to raise awareness for other young people who may ignore red flag symptoms or feel dismissed by doctors because of their age.

“I think because on the outside I looked ok and I felt ok within myself, I just kept dismissing it. It's like I almost didn't want to know, even though knowing would have changed my outcomes dramatically.”

She wants others to know how crucial it is to advocate for themselves: “I just want to put my story out there to encourage people to advocate for themselves and if they aren't getting answers, to push for them.

"You know your body better than anyone else and you can't let someone tell you otherwise. A colonoscopy is nothing compared to what you go through if you don't get that initial scope done, so do it.”

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