I performed in a musical showcase on 2nd March @ The Bedford to raise money for the St George’s Hospital Charity oncology fund. I am a local Mum of three young children, and was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2022. The NHS staff at St George’s Hospital were amazing and I feel so fortunate to have this fantastic hospital just down the road and thankful to have been diagnosed quickly following that first appointment with my GP and to have responded well to my carefully crafted treatment plan from my team of experts. 

Please take the time to make an appointment to see your GP if you feel that something isn’t right, or not normal for you to talk it through. This is what I did, and I am so thankful I did. 

Symptoms of bowel cancer include (this is the list from the Australian Cancer Council website, which I found more accurately detailed the symptoms that I was experiencing which were not listed on the NHS website) :

• change in bowel habit including diarrhoea, constipation or the feeling of incomplete emptying

• a change in the appearance or consistency of bowel movements such as thin bowel stools

• blood in the stools

• abdominal pain, bloating or cramping

• anal or rectal pain

• a lump in the anus or rectum

• weight loss

• unexplained fatigue

• tiredness and/or anaemia (pale complexion, weakness and breathlessness) 

• blood in the urine or passing urine frequently or during the night, change in urine colour – dark, rusty or brown.

If you can’t come to the show, please consider making a donation to this fantastic charity. 

‘Better Care, Healthier Lives’. We are the charity that exists to support St George’s hospitals and the communities they serve. Every day, our work makes a real difference to patients, their families and friends and the staff who care for them.