Karen was diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer in November. A huge shock to us all - she had no symptoms except stomach cramps for a few months before which were thought to be due to perimenopause, fibroids or IBS.

A routine blood test showed Karen was dangerously anaemic with an emergency doctor knocking on our door at 3am. That was the start of her journey. Thankfully a dr at our surgery had recommended doing a FiT test which came back positive and within 2 wks she had a colonoscopy which showed a tumour was blocking her bowel and was causing the cramps.

In January the tumour was completely removed along with cancerous lymph nodes and fatty tissue. In March she started 8 cycles of chemotherapy and last Wednesday she rang the bell to celebrate the end of her treatment. Now we are focused on Karen’s recovery and future monitoring. She has a CT scan and blood tests booked for October followed by an oncology appointment at the beginning of November.

Karen has remained positive throughout and we are incredibly proud of her and we are also incredibly grateful to the amazing NHS staff who have supported Karen, and the family, throughout the last 6 months.

Karen and I are walking 44 miles with Pixie this October and raising money to help save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. The money we raise will help to provide support and information to patients and their families, fund and support research into bowel cancer and support campaigns for early diagnosis and best treatment and care for all.

Bowel cancer is the UK's second biggest cancer killer with more than 16,500 people dying annually of a disease that is preventable, treatable and curable.