Laura Jackson put her fatigue down to being a “working mum” (Image: Laura Jackson/SWNS)
When Laura Jackson first experienced fatigue, she put it down to being a “working mum”. The then 38-year-old said she “disregarded” her tiredness to raising a one and three-year-old while holding down a job.
But after she was turned away for donating blood due to iron levels, further testing revealed the truth – she had bowel cancer. Laura, from Southampton, had her GP investigate the cause of her low iron levels, and two positive faecal immunochemical test (FIT) tests led to her being referred for a colonoscopy and gastroscopy in May 2025.
Apart from fatigue, she says she had not experienced any of the typical symptoms such as blood in her stool. Though she did suffer infrequent bouts of diarrhoea up to three times in the year prior to her referral.
Doctors found a 5cm tumour in Laura’s large intestine and confirmed a bowel cancer diagnosis. This meant she required a third of her bowel removed during a three-hour operation in July 2025.
Following a biopsy of her tumour, her diagnosis was upgraded from stage two to stage three after the cancer showed deposits in her veins and was attempting to spread. Six weeks after her surgery in August 2025, Laura underwent four rounds of “mop up” chemotherapy over 12 weeks.
Doctors discovered a 5cm tumour in Laura’s large intestine (Image: Laura Jackson/SWNS)
She currently has no evidence of disease but will remain under surveillance for the next five years. Laura, now 39, said: “Everything kind of felt a bit surreal in that moment when the doctor told me I had a tumour.
“The first thing I thought was ‘am I going to die?’ I thought ‘oh my gosh I’ve got two babies at home, I’ve got to be there for them’.
“My husband was there with me trying to stay strong but he was crying as well.” Now she is encouraging others to undergo a FIT test if something doesn’t seem right.
“I don’t want to scaremonger but to raise awareness of the FIT test,” she said. “It would have been left and would have spread if I’d not had it done.
“James van der Beek and Mel from MAFS [Married at First Sight] died of bowel cancer and they were young people. I won’t be the only person with no symptoms that has advanced cancer.”
She says she wishes she had “listened to her body more” regarding her exhaustion, frequently taking two-hour naps during the day while her baby slept. Six weeks post-surgery, her cancer was upgraded to stage three after deposits were discovered in her veins and outside her bowel.
“When it’s upgraded from stage two to three you need to do what they call ‘mop up’ chemo,” she explained. “The thought of surgery didn’t scare me, but chemo did.
“I tried to reframe it in my head that rather than chemo being the scary enemy, chemo was stopping this coming back. I had bad days but other days I felt better and I could go to the gym, go swimming or for family days out.”
Laura iced her hands and feet throughout her chemotherapy to help prevent any long-term neuropathy – nerve damage which can occasionally be triggered by chemotherapy, leading to symptoms such as tingling, numbness, pain and weakness, often in the hands and feet.
She says apart from fatigue, the one symptom she “completely disregarded” were sudden episodes of diarrhoea. “Three times a year I’d have stomach cramps and need for a number two but nothing was happening,” she said.
Now, she has no evidence of disease but will be under surveillance for the next five years. (Image: Laura Jackson/SWNS)
“The pain was so intense and eventually I’d have frequent diarrhoea. Looking back I had a partial bowel obstruction so my body was having a meltdown trying to pass a bowel motion but the tumour was in the way.
“If that was happening every month I’d think ‘that’s odd and go to the GP but because it didn’t I just thought it was one of those things.”
Following her 12-week treatment course, Laura has been recuperating and currently shows no evidence of disease, though she’ll remain under surveillance for five years before she can be classified as being in remission.
By sharing her story online via TikTok, Laura reveals her videos have prompted others to request FIT tests. “My GP saved my life,” she states.
“I’ve shared for awareness. I thought if I share my experience and someone else is going through it they might be able to see the reality is not all doom and gloom.”
Symptoms of bowel cancer
The NHS outlines the primary symptoms of bowel cancer as:
- Changes in your poo, such as having softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you
- Needing to poo more or less often than usual for you
- Blood in your poo, which may look red or black
- Bleeding from your bottom
- Often feeling like you need to poo, even if you’ve just been to the toilet
- Tummy pain
- A lump in your tummy
- Bloating
- Losing weight without trying
- Feeling very tired or short of breath – these are signs of anaemia, which can be caused by bowel cancer
Consult your GP if you’ve experienced any bowel cancer symptoms for three weeks or longer.
FIT tests
In the UK, people registered with a GP receive a test automatically, referred to as a faecal immunochemical test (FIT), every two years. Your first kit arrives at age 50, 52 or 54, depending on your date of birth.
If you believe you qualify for bowel cancer screening but haven’t received an invitation or your testing kit, you can contact the bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 6060.
