About me

3 days before I turned 30 I was diagnosed with bowel cancer while completing a fellowship in Ireland.

After a prompt return to Australia, surgery and further testing I received an official diagnosis of stage 3A bowel cancer.

Stage 3 gets you a ticket to chemotherapy as it means that the cancer has spread to your lymph nodes (in my case 1 lymph node). I started 12 fortnightly cycles of chemo at the end of July 2019.

Since May life has become a whirlwind of medical appointments but through it all I’ve had an amazing support network at my side.

I finished chemo in Jan 2020, but my story doesn’t end there. Recovering from the physical and emotional toil of treatment & a life turned upside down plus regular checkups means there’s plenty of chapters still to be written

Writing about my journey is a platform for keeping friends and family up to date with what’s happening & has been somewhat cathartic for me.

Bowel Cancer is currently the deadliest cancer for 25-29 year olds. If sharing my story can help spread awareness that you’re #never2young for bowel cancer and change this statistic that’s a win too.

X Jo