Warning: This article discusses cancer, which may be distressing to some readers.
A mother diagnosed with stage 4 cancer has revealed the subtle symptoms she experienced prior to her diagnosis.
Zoe Gardner-Lawson, 36, underwent a CT scan in October 2024, where doctors found a 5cm tumor on her bowel.
Now undergoing her fifth round of chemotherapy, Zoe, from Berkshire, UK, believes her condition could have been detected earlier if bowel screenings were available to those aged 30 and over in England.
Currently, in the UK, regular screenings are only offered to individuals between 54 and 74 years of age.
“If my disease was caught earlier, it would’ve been easier to treat… I think the minimum age for testing needs to reduce,” Zoe stated.
Zoe was initially misdiagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI) when she felt unwell, making it all the more shocking when she later learned she had stage 4 bowel cancer.
Reportedly, the tumor had been present for four years before being detected — an experience Zoe described as ‘terrifying’.
Despite feeling ‘fit and healthy’ beforehand, Zoe started to notice a persistent dull ache in her lower back.
Reluctant to visit doctors and not typically worried about her health, in August of last year, she scheduled a phone appointment with her physician.
She was informed she likely had a UTI and was given a week’s course of antibiotics. When symptoms persisted, she received two additional courses over a month.
Reflecting on that period, the 36-year-old shared: “I was basically bedridden — I felt so unwell, and the back pain had spread to my abdomen, too.”
The following month, Zoe had another consultation, after which she was directed to visit the emergency room immediately.
After examining her symptoms and conducting a physical exam, doctors initially suspected kidney stones. However, a CT scan showed otherwise, leading to further blood tests in another department.
Zoe insisted on a full body scan, which uncovered a bowel perforation requiring immediate hospitalization.
A subsequent examination identified a lime-sized tumor causing the perforation, which had metastasized to her liver, peritoneum, and stomach lymph nodes.
“I needed emergency surgery to remove the tumour on my bowel, get rid of all the fluid and waste which seeped out, and then re-evaluate,” she recounted.
The surgery to excise as much of the tumor and fluid as possible was carried out on October 3, lasting four hours.
A biopsy determined the tumor to be a cancerous blastoma, an aggressive cancer type, necessitating a tripling of her chemo dosage per round.
Zoe is currently undergoing the fifth of an eight-round treatment plan.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.