Marie’s experience of going through bowel cancer treatment during the festive period

Marie Adams was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer in November 2023. In this blog she shares her experience of going through bowel cancer treatment during the Christmas period and how we were able to help her through some of her hardest moments.

I’ve always loved Christmas. It’s my family's favourite time of year and we always count down to 1 December so we can put our tree up. This time last year however, instead of being excited I was facing a very different range of emotions. After having awful stomach cramps and vomiting, I’d been diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer. I was in total shock and feeling very alone. 

Keeping traditions alive

I had surgery and in early December started chemotherapy, which I was finding incredibly hard going. I tried my best to keep our Christmas traditions alive for my eight-year-old son, but I was so exhausted that I couldn’t even decorate the tree with him. 

One tradition that I really didn’t want my son to miss out on was going to see Father Christmas. We usually go to a few different Father Christmas events, but I could only manage one trip with him. Looking back now, I don’t know how I did it as I felt so ill the whole time. I thought I was disguising this well, but my son knew something was wrong and stayed by my side holding my hand the whole time.

The effects of treatment

During my second round of chemo, I suffered an allergic reaction which set me even further back. I started to experience really bad neuropathy (numbness and pain) in my hands and feet, making it more difficult for me to go out.

We’d planned to spend Boxing Day with my parents. However, I woke up with a swollen arm which turned out to be a blood clot, and I ended up back in hospital. This was a huge disappointment.

Support from Bowel Cancer UK

Cancer made me feel so isolated and scared and I couldn’t share my concerns with my family because I didn’t want to worry them even more. That’s when I turned to Bowel Cancer UK.

Their health information and advice were crucial in helping me and my family cope with the disease. Their website and leaflets always calmed me down when I was most scared and helped me navigate my treatment. My husband also used the publications to learn how best to support me emotionally.

I spent a lot of time on the forum reading other people’s experiences and asking questions about how others coped with symptoms. Even though I’m a counselling psychologist by profession, cancer made me feel so alone. Speaking to others going through something similar gave me the reassurance that I could get through it too.

This Christmas

I don’t remember much about last New Year’s Eve because I was so ill, but I do remember wishing as hard as I could that the cancer would go. In April 2024, my wish came true when I was given the all-clear.

This Christmas, I’m planning on doing as many fun activities as I can with my son and husband to make up for lost time. I may even get two Christmas trees!

I also decided to support Bowel Cancer UK’s 2024 Christmas appeal for The Big Give. The charity was a much-needed source of reassurance, comfort, and hope throughout my treatment. With your help, we can make sure that people can access the resources and support that helped me through the darkest days of my treatment.

• Support the 2024 Big Give Christmas appeal
• Learn the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer 
• Find out how we can support you