‘I didn’t think it could happen to me’
Emma Campbell, 38, lives with her husband Kari, 37, an asset planner, and their three children, Jensen, nine, Finlay, six and Krista, two, in Newcastle.
She says, “Standing at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in January 2022, I felt like I’d conquered the world. The sense of achievement was incredible, not least because it was only a year on from being told I was in remission from bowel cancer. But tragically just a month later I discovered my bowel cancer had come back with a spot on my liver.
PAIN
“I was five months pregnant in February 2019 when I first got a terrible pain in my stomach and went to the hospital, where they told me it was probably constipation – common when you’re expecting. But I gave birth to Krista in May, so when I experienced more pain in September I put it down to food poisoning.
“But a few weeks later an advertisement popped up on Facebook for a private bowel screening test, it only cost £39 so on a whim I decided to do it, as a way to rule out the worstcase scenario. The test involved giving a stool sample, which isn’t a very glamorous experience, but it’s the first time I’d ever properly looked at my stools, and I noticed that there was some blood. And when the test results came back, they confirmed what I’d seen, and encouraged me to see my GP as the blood levels in my stools were high.
“Still, I really didn’t think I had bowel cancer, I thought I was too young, I lived a relatively healthy lifestyle, cooking home-made meals, I wasn’t overweight and had never smoked. Any of the symptoms I’d had, I could put down to something else. I was really tired, but I had a newborn, and I’d lost weight, but I’d been trying to diet.
“However after seeing my GP, I was referred for a colonoscopy which I had in February 2020.
“I was lying on the table, when the nurse said there was a lesion and she took a biopsy. She told me then it was possibly bowel cancer and called my husband to come and pick me up.
“I didn’t cry or shout and
scream, I just felt numb. I remember sitting in the car with my husband unable to form any words.
UNFAIR
“Two weeks later the results from the biopsy confirmed it was bowel cancer. It felt so unfair, I had three beautiful children, a loving husband and a teaching job I loved. I cried, in private, worrying about what would happen to my children. But I knew the negativity was bad for my mental health and tried to flip the situation – acknowledging that I couldn’t change what had happened but I could take control of how I handled it.
“It was hard at times, especially when they discovered my cancer had spread and I had two tiny patches on my liver. I started chemotherapy in March 2020, and had six rounds. I felt horrendous. Sometimes I was so tired I couldn’t move, other times I felt sick, everything tasted horrible and I got a painful rash on my body. I felt like a shell of my former self.
“The chemo was so effective that the patches on my liver completely disappeared and in September 2020 I had an operation to remove the tumour in my bowel. It was straightforward and I was lucky that I didn’t need a stoma. Four days later I was back at home and I had routine scans to check there was no cancer. In January 2021 I was told there was no evidence of disease and I was in remission – it was the most incredible feeling.
DEVASTATING
“I met some other bowel-cancer patients and we set about raising money – we cycled the equivalent of Land’s End to John O’Groats on our indoor bikes, and then we did the trek up Kilimanjaro in Africa.
“But in February this year I had devastating news. My routine scan showed that there is an 8mm patch of cancer on my liver. It’s treatable, but it’s a setback and I’ve cried buckets.
“I’ve coped by taking control of what I can control. I’d already changed my diet to be largely plant-based and I’ve started going to the gym so I’m as strong as possible when it comes to more treatment. My doctor has been clear that it’s treatable and they’re coming up with a plan. It’s so weird because I actually feel better than ever and find it hard to believe that I climbed a mountain while fighting cancer.
“I wish I’d known more about the symptoms. Early diagnosis makes treatment so much easier – knowing the early signs could save your life, so I desperately want other people to know what to look out for and get checked.”
● Follow Emma on Instagram @Emma_campbell_84. To donate to her fundraising efforts, visit justgiving.com/ teamtrustyourgutclimbkili