I have always suffered from severe menstrual pain, but one day in August 2024, I was paralyzed by the pain. I had to call in sick as a medical secretary because I physically couldn’t move.
At the end of the day, I went to the emergency room. I was not scanned, but was diagnosed with suspected appendicitis and had my appendix removed.
When I woke up from surgery, I was told that my appendix looked fine, but the pain was caused by a burst cyst in my ovary.
I was released and sent home to recover. However, I never got better. I’ve had worse.
Fagan before diagnosis. At the hospital.
I got an infection from the fluid coming out of the cyst. I was put on antibiotics, with blood tests every few days for three weeks.
I didn’t think about it and I wasn’t worried.
Once everything cleared up, I still wasn’t myself. I felt a little better, but I was lethargic, had night sweats, had lost weight and had difficulty getting up.
I felt like I was dragging myself everywhere. Some days I had a good day; others I couldn’t move.
Eventually, I started to feel a pulling sensation in my abdomen, on the side where my appendix is. When I was in bed or on my side, I had to lie on my back.
I ignored it because I thought everything was still working out after the surgery.
But I continued to lose weight because I no longer had an appetite.
“You don’t look well.”
Fagan hiking before falling ill. Holding his mouth in shock.
One day in October, my sister said to me, “You don’t look well,” and I said I didn’t feel it.
I made an appointment with the doctor and she examined me by going around the area. She said she could feel something on the side of my abdomen.
She couldn’t believe they didn’t do a scan in August, but she said it could be scar tissue or an infection, but she urged me to go to the ER for a scan.
I went home and packed a travel bag just in case, and my parents came with me.
The doctors at the hospital said they didn’t do a scan on me in August because I was only 33 years old. They took my blood and sent me for a scan.
I was sedated during this, which made me a little crazy, but I was aware of my surroundings. I could hear the doctors talking and Michael Jackson playing on the radio.
Then, at some point, the doctors fell silent and the mood in the room changed. I just knew they had found something; the nurse couldn’t even look at me.
They told me they found a mass around my intestine and colon and it would be biopsied.
I thought it didn’t look good, but I never thought it would be something sinister.
About 30 minutes later the doctor came and said, “Based on your symptoms, we think it’s lymphoma.” »
Gastrointestinal lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system that begins in the digestive tract, such as the stomach or intestines. Symptoms include abdominal pain and cramping as well as weight loss.
I was with my mother. We both broke down. I remember one of the first things I said was “I can’t be a bald bride”, thinking about my wedding which was supposed to be in October 2025.
My mother called my family and they all came to the hospital. But one thing I’ll never forget is the way my sister screamed on the phone when she heard the word cancer.
It was horrible. I will never forget it. I could hear his heart breaking.
Fagan gave a thumbs up before a scan and after surgery when they removed the tumor.
Stage 4 bowel cancer
The biopsy results came back six weeks later, after Christmas, and I was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer.
Around 1 in 20 people get bowel cancer in Ireland, where I’m from. In the United States, more than 158,000 people will be diagnosed with colon and rectal cancer this year.
I started immunotherapy at the end of January 2025. It is a medical treatment that harnesses and strengthens your body’s natural immune system to fight cancer.
I did it every month, followed by scans every week, and each time the results came back good. In December, I went for a scan with my father, because I thought everything would be fine.
The doctor said it seemed like my response to treatment was slowing and my body wasn’t responding to it.
I could move on, start a clinical trial at another hospital or try chemotherapy. I opted for the trial because the doctor told me they were getting good results.
Fagan holds his hand over his eyes and undergoes cancer treatment in hospital.
This involved taking three tablets a day indefinitely during the trial. I came there every week for blood tests and a scan every month. There was no waiting and I would get the results the next day.
At first, I was very nauseous and vomited a lot, but once I got used to it, I felt much better than when I was on immunotherapy.
I walked every day. I saw people. I felt good.
I was getting brilliant results and seeing significant reductions. Every week my blood test results were perfect.
I continued planning the wedding. It kept me busy. It was exciting, something happy to look forward to.
My world fell apart
Fagan covering his mouth in shock. Sitting in the hospital undergoing cancer treatment.
Then, in August, my world came crashing down. Blood tests revealed that my liver markers were dangerously high. I was shocked because I didn’t feel bad.
I stopped taking the medication and was monitored, but nothing improved.
At the same time, my partner of 17 years broke up with me and called off the wedding. I was heartbroken but I had to focus on my health.
In September, I had a biopsy of my liver and the results revealed major liver damage caused by the medications.
Recovery hit me for six hours. I was so sick I couldn’t get out of bed or eat and ended up turning yellow like Simpson.
In October, my blood finally returned to normal levels. But the September PET scan results revealed that the tumor had grown back significantly and more had grown around my liver, stomach, pancreas and lymph nodes.
Once my color returned to normal, the medical staff told me how good I looked and I asked my dad, “Is it really that bad?”
He choked up and said he was worried because I looked like a very sick cancer patient. I was thin, frail, and the dark circles under my eyes were practically black.
He was terrified.
“Nothing in my journey has been normal”
I am currently on my third cycle of chemotherapy and everything is going well.
Nothing about my journey has been normal or simple. The crazy thing is, I’ve never had any issues with my intestines, never had blood in my stools, or anything. My symptoms aren’t on the poster for bowel cancer, other than weight loss and fatigue, but many women are tired anyway.
I was just a healthy girl who didn’t complain about losing weight because I thought exercising and eating right worked.
I now know that it is vital to listen to your body and not ignore the warning signs. The most important thing to do is to advocate for yourself, only you know your body inside and out.
We only have one body and one life, it’s important to fight to be taken seriously. It could save your life.
Claire Fagan is a 35-year-old from Dublin, Ireland, who regularly shares her story on social media to raise awareness of bowel cancer, particularly among younger people.
Contact Newsweek editors about this story: Charlotte Nisbet And Cristina Diciu.
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