A mum-of-two was devastated to receive a life-threatening diagnosis after spending years blaming her bowel issues on irritable bowel syndrome.
Gemma Crossley had long believed she was suffering with irritable bowel syndrome. But it wasn't until she saw a social media post by Dame Deborah James that she went to her GP to get her painful symptoms, including worrying bleeding, checked out.
Deborah James was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016 at the age of 35. Known online as 'bowelbabe', she was a tireless campaigner and fundraiser, sharing her cancer experience with unflinching honesty and tackling many taboos - including encouraging everyone to ‘check their poo.’
