Young Woman's Double Bowel Cancer Diagnosis Sparks Awareness Campaign
Charlotte Rutherford, now 32, has endured two separate bowel cancer diagnoses in her twenties, transforming her perspective on life and fueling her mission to educate others about the disease's impact on young people. Her story emerges during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month as a stark reminder that age does not provide immunity from this aggressive condition.
Initial Diagnosis: A Life-Threatening Emergency
At just 26 years old, while living in Australia in 2020, Charlotte experienced what she describes as an "emergency state" of health. Severe stomach pain, persistent vomiting, and an inability to eat culminated in a hospital admission that revealed Stage 3B bowel cancer. The aggressive tumour had obstructed her colon and spread to lymph nodes, creating a critical medical situation.
"I was told that when I went into hospital the first time in 2020 that I was maybe 48 hours away from my heart just giving up," Charlotte revealed to PA Real Life. This brush with mortality fundamentally altered her outlook, teaching her that "things can change so quickly – so don’t sweat the small stuff – live life how you want to live."
Her symptoms had been developing intermittently for approximately 18 months before reaching crisis point. What began as occasional severe stomach pain and vomiting escalated to constant distress by December 2020, accompanied by dramatic weight loss and altered bowel habits.
Surgical Intervention and Treatment Journey
Doctors discovered the bowel obstruction through an urgent CT scan and immediately questioned Charlotte about family cancer history. Within 24 hours of hospital admission on December 11, 2020, she underwent surgery to remove the obstruction for biopsy. Six days later, on December 17, she received the devastating confirmation: advanced bowel cancer that doctors estimated had been developing for three to five years.
"I had no time to think," Charlotte stated, recalling the isolation of receiving this diagnosis alone in an Australian hospital during COVID-19 restrictions. "To be honest, the thing that was going through my mind because of how unwell I felt… I just thought I was going to die in the hospital."
Following surgical removal of the primary tumour and affected lymph nodes, Charlotte endured 12 weeks of preventative chemotherapy via drip and oral tablets. By April 6, 2021, she completed four treatment rounds and entered remission, returning to the UK for ongoing monitoring through six-monthly scans and blood tests.
Devastating Recurrence and Second Battle
By 2023, aged 29 and with no signs of recurrence for two years, Charlotte approached her February scan with unusual calm. "I felt so fit and so healthy, it was probably the scan I went into with the least amount of scan anxiety," she recalled. Nine days later, a hospital call requesting an urgent surgeon appointment shattered this peace.
The cancer had returned, this time metastasizing to her lung and resulting in a Stage 4 diagnosis. This presented a heartbreaking dilemma: "I essentially had to weigh up whether it meant more to me to not have chemo and protect my fertility, or have chemo and reduce my chance of the cancer coming back."
Fortunately, the tumour's small size allowed for keyhole surgery in April 2023. After two weeks of bed rest and a gradual fitness rebuilding process, Charlotte achieved remission again by August 2023. The physical recovery proved particularly challenging, with significant breathlessness that required months to overcome.
Emotional Toll and Awareness Mission
The recurrence delivered a profound psychological blow. "Maybe it was naive, but I really didn't think I was going to have a recurrence during my remission," Charlotte admitted. "It was a huge shock, because I felt so fit and healthy."
Now working as community manager for cancer charity Mission Remission in Bristol, Charlotte emphasizes the emotional burden of facing cancer twice in her twenties. "Because I was so young, you're around an age group where people are progressing with other areas of their life, like buying houses and work and stuff," she reflected. "You just feel so behind where everyone else is, for something that is just so out of your control."
Bowel Cancer Awareness Month Campaign
With April designated as Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, Charlotte has become a vocal advocate for recognizing symptoms in young people. The NHS identifies key warning signs including:
- Changes in bowel habits
- Blood in stools (appearing black or red)
- Persistent stomach pain
- Unexplained weight loss
- Bloating
According to Bowel Cancer UK, over 2,500 people under 50 receive bowel cancer diagnoses annually in the UK. "There isn't quite that awareness still that this can happen to young people," Charlotte emphasized. "I think that just raising awareness of the symptoms and making sure people have the confidence to get checked if something doesn't feel right… To not have that immediate thought of: 'You're too young to have bowel cancer' is important."
This year's awareness efforts include the Stage4You campaign, developed and funded by Takeda UK with support from Bowel Cancer UK. The initiative addresses unique challenges faced by those living with Stage 4 bowel cancer, encouraging patients to "take a self-awareness day, and give themselves permission to step back when disease awareness content feels too much."
For Charlotte, this campaign provides crucial validation: "It acknowledges the mental toll of what we're going through, and gives us that acknowledgement to be able to just take some time, and to see that life doesn't just go on as normal sometimes."
Reflecting on her transformative journey, Charlotte concluded: "I think my whole perspective on life changed (after cancer). I say yes to more things. I make sure that all of the time I have is spent doing things that I actually want to do. I think it shows you how fragile life is."
