When Teanna Blanch was diagnosed with bowel cancer while pregnant at age 32, it came as a terrible shock.
"I was 25 weeks' pregnant when I found out what my stomach pains were," said Mrs Blanch, of Cameron Park.
"I woke from a colonoscopy to the dreaded words, 'I'm so sorry, you have cancer'."
Like many, Mrs Blanch wonders what is causing the rise in bowel cancer among young people.
"Is it our lifestyle, growing up in the '90s, stress or genetics?" she said.
June is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, which helps raise funds for more research.
Mrs Blanch shared her story to support the Calvary Mater hospital's bowel cancer research program.
The program has developed a novel blood test for early diagnosis of bowel cancer.
Head of the program, colorectal surgeon Stephen Smith, said it aimed to improve surgical outcomes and support prevention, particularly for people at high risk.
"It is hoped that, once validated, these new testing methods will reduce the proportion of bowel cancers diagnosed at a late stage," Dr Smith said.
Dr Smith performed Mrs Blanch's surgery at John Hunter Hospital because she was pregnant and the hospital had emergency options for her baby.
The surgery was rare, dangerous and took a lot of planning.
As well as Dr Smith, her obstetrician Dr Susan Winspear was part of the medical team.
"Their dedication to me and my baby Arizona's survival was second to none. They went above and beyond," Mrs Blanch said.
Almost 40 centimetres of her bowel was removed, along with 19 lymph nodes and blood vessels.
Arizona is now 18 months old.
"She's perfect," Mrs Blanch said.
While the surgery went well, the recovery was not easy.
"I was cut down the middle while pregnant with a growing belly, so my wounds kept opening," Mrs Blanch said.
"I was walking around for two months basically with an open stomach."
Mrs Blanch did genetic testing, which showed she had Lynch syndrome.
"In simple terms, it's a condition where you are prone to cancer of a few different sorts - brain, liver, lung, ovarian," she said.
Now 34, Mrs Blanch said her ordeal was emotional.
"It hits me in the heart that my family had to suffer," she said.
Daughter Autumn, now four, was two at the time.
"Yes I was suffering, but Autumn watched her mum have a cut-open stomach," she said.
"My mum packed her bags and moved into our house. She watched her own daughter fight for her life."
Teanna felt bad for her husband, Jye Blanch.
"He was juggling work and trying to keep the lights on, while being home with me and not knowing if our baby would survive," she said.
Mrs Blanch got the all clear from bowel cancer at the end of 2025.
"When I look back on it, I feel a bit robbed of my innocence," she said.
She aimed to turn "what almost broke me into a positive".
"It's taught me that time is precious, and taking action on your health at any age is important," she said.
"It's given me the power to help others and save lives.
"I was so lucky. I just want other people to get tested and not get to that scenario where they're risking their lives."
She's figuring out what to do next with her life.
"I want to do something I'm passionate about that makes a difference," she said.
"If I'm going to be away from my children during the day, I want it to be for good reason."
