I was just 35 when my ‘rumbling stomach’ was found to be stage four bowel cancer. I was given 12 months to live but I turn 40 in two weeks. This is what I need all young Aussies to know

An Australian mother was just 35 when a series of ‘strange’ symptoms left her in hospital. It took several visits before a doctor finally took her seriously.

Gemma Farquhar, from Sydney, suffered for months of unexplained bowel movements and vomiting – with four different doctors misdiagnosing her with stomach upset, parasites, gluten intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome.

Only after advocating for herself and insisting on a CT scan was she diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer and given 12 months to live.

Now, five years later and two weeks away from her 40th birthday, Gemma shares the glaring signs doctors missed and how she managed to survive against all odds.

The mother of two was enjoying a pizza on a Friday evening in January 2020 when she noticed something was wrong.

Gemma Farquhar, who lives in Sydney with her family, was just 35 when she was diagnosed with bowel cancer in April 2020

Only after advocating for herself and insisting on a CT scan was she diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer and given 12 months to live.

‘A few hours after eating, my stomach started rumbling uncontrollably. I had to run to the bathroom at 2am and at the same time started violently vomiting,” she told FEMAIL.

The same thing happened again in March. Gemma felt ‘completely normal’ after the ordeal, but her gut told her something was wrong.

“I contacted the local doctor but he simply said it’s nothing to worry about, it’s just a stomach flu,” she explained.

On April 23, Gemma went for a walk with a friend when her stomach started cramping

‘I was not satisfied and asked for a blood test and a referral to a gastrointestinal enterologist and an allergy specialist.

“The allergy specialist confirmed I didn’t have an allergy and the gastroenterologist said I most likely had digestive problems, so they gave me herbal medication.”

The specialist also sent Gemma for more blood tests and asked for a stool sample, but that was inconclusive.

‘A few weeks after I had the tests, my stomach was making very loud gurgling noises and I felt a bit crampy at times. I also felt bloated. This lasted about two weeks,” she said.

‘I called my GP about my results but he said they all looked good; a few things were elevated, but I just had to talk to the gastroenterologist. She thought it might be constipation, so I was given medication for that.’

On April 23, Gemma went for a walk with a friend when her stomach started cramping. Towards nightfall the cramps became more severe, her appetite had disappeared and she began to vomit violently.

“The first thing I did the next morning was call my gastroenterologist,” she said.

‘After speaking to her, she immediately asked me to have more blood work, a CT scan and some antibiotics if I had a parasite.’

Gemma revealed her doctors did not look for bowel cancer as she was only 35 years old and had no history of the disease in her family

Gemma was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer after emergency surgery

Within an hour, a doctor called Gemma and explained that she needed to go to hospital immediately because they had discovered colorectal cancer and an obstruction in her intestine.

She revealed that her doctors did not look for colon cancer because she was only 35 years old and had no history of the disease in her family.

‘I went into shock and disbelief. After a restless evening and the inability to eat or drink anything due to the upcoming surgery, I woke up on April 25 and was wheeled away to the operating room. I was in tears and terrified,” she recalls.

Gemma was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer after emergency surgery, but doctors noticed the cancer had spread to her ovaries during chemotherapy, immediately moving her to stage four.

‘They found a 13 cm tumor on my ovary. We then changed the treatment plan to be more aggressive: I had intensive chemotherapy and was scheduled to have a peritonectomy plus HIPEC in September,” she said.

A peritonectomy is sometimes called “the mother of all surgeries” because doctors cut a patient in half, remove certain cancer-affected organs and pour “hot chemotherapy” over their abdomen.

‘During the operation I had my peritoneum, omentum, appendix and 20cm of my intestine removed, and I had a full radical hysterectomy – so my uterus, fallopian tubes, cervix and both my ovaries were also removed,’ she said.

Gemma was not able to walk until day three when she took ‘just one step’ and could no longer eat or drink on her own.

After ‘the mother of all surgeries’ and chemotherapy to kill the cancer, the cancer has now spread to her lungs, giving the young mother a 14 percent chance of survival

According to Bowel Cancer Australia, there is a 14 percent survival rate for those diagnosed with stage four.

“I try not to look at the statistics and have a great team of medical professionals around me who I trust can keep going,” Gemma said.

But the nightmare was not over yet: in December 2021, doctors found three dangerous tumors on Gemma’s right lung.

“My doctors all the time thought the tumors were in my lungs, but they didn’t see it on the scans because they are so small,” she said.

‘It was difficult; all the trauma came back quickly.”

Gemma was shocked because she had done everything right – had chemotherapy, surgery, taken all her medications – but it still wasn’t enough.

‘I had to build myself up from scratch. I had to relearn how to exercise, how to walk down the street. And then when you find out it’s back, you end up in a dark place,” she said.

Despite this, Gemma felt like she was better equipped to deal with the cancer this time because she had been through it before.

In December 2021, doctors found three dangerous tumors on Gemma’s right lung

Gemma receives treatment that consists of an infusion every fourteen days and four tablets per day

The drug Gemma is currently taking was not covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) when she was first prescribed it, and she had to pay $6,472 out of pocket for the first month, after which it was subsidized.

She receives treatment that consists of an infusion every fourteen days and four tablets per day.

“When I started treatment two years ago, doctors told me I would become resistant to the drugs within four months – which turned out not to be true,” she said.

‘I’ve been following them for two years now and they’re still going well. There are no other treatment options at this time, so I am grateful that the medication continues to work for me.”

The mother said she was grateful to have access to life-saving medications and a team of dedicated doctors.

“My children were four and five when I was first diagnosed and I didn’t think I would reach the next milestone for them,” she said.

‘It’s very important to stand up for yourself, question the doctors and read as much as you can.’

In addition to the biweekly infusions and daily tablets, Gemma also has scans made of her chest, abdomen and pelvis every three months.

‘I’m grateful to have seen my daughters grow up. When I was first diagnosed, I never thought I would see my daughter’s 10th birthday – and I just celebrated it with her,” she said.

Gemma uses her online diary @havingthegutstodealwithbadsh*t to help others diagnosed with cancer maintain positivity and perspective.