A superfit woman, who went to the gym five or six times a week, was shocked to be diagnosed with stage three colon cancer at just 27.
Vanessa Mendico is now warning others of the top symptoms to look out for, as early diagnosis can mean the difference between beating the disease and not.
Her cancer is now in remission after surgery to remove a tumour and nine rounds of chemotherapy.
Ms Mendico said her first warning sign of cancer emerged the day after she had moved from Melbourne to Australia's Gold Coast about 1,200 miles away.
She told Seven News that despite going to the GP visiting A&E six times she was constantly turned away from hospital, despite having excruciating stomach pains, changes in bowel movements, unusual bloating, low iron, brain fog and fatigue.
By the time she had a colonoscopy she was given the devastating news that she had stage three bowel cancer.
She said: "There are no words to describe the feeling when you are told you have cancer.
“I just remember my whole world crashing.”
Just a day after settling into her new how, she noticed drops of blood in her stools.
“My gut knew something was wrong."
Due to the coronvavirus pandemic gripping the world, Vanessa was put on a two-year waitlist in Queensland as her symptom was deemed “not serious”.
But she added: “It got to the point I was just passing blood. But I was told there was nothing they could do until I got a colonoscopy. I was so desperate, I tried to book a colonoscopy in Melbourne but even that got cancelled.
“I knew I had a tumour... or a pretty good idea that something was very wrong and that something was obstructing my rectum,” she added.
Doctors eventually moved her colonoscopy forward after noticing “something wasn’t right” and she was given the devastating diagnosis.
After aggressive chemotherapy she was eventually given the all clear and is now urging women to look out for the signs - including irregular bowel movements and blood in the stool.
“We know our body and gut more than anyone else. “If something feels wrong, keep advocating. If you’re not getting the answer you want, find another doctor. Listen to your gut.”
