A mum-of-three who took on a 40-day rowing challenge across the Atlantic Ocean started experiencing bowel issues on her trip, resulting in a diagnosis of stage 3 bowel cancer – but she is now cancer-free, crediting her “positive attitude” to helping her get through it. Felicity Ashley, 47, a former head of marketing, rowed 3,000 miles from the Canaries to Antigua but during her journey, she started to have problems with needing the toilet a lot.
Back home in April 2022, the mum noticed blood in her stool and booked a doctor’s appointment, where she was referred for a colonoscopy. In May 2022, Felicity was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer and underwent chemotherapy after having surgery to remove the deadly mass.
Now cancer-free, Felicity hopes to take on another physical challenge once she has had the official all-clear and credits her “positive mindset” to getting her through the ordeal. Felicity, who lives with her husband, Paul, 47, who works in data innovation, and their three children, Sam, 10, Ben, eight, and Grace, five, said: “Because of the circumstances I was in on the Atlantic, the idea of it being cancer never crossed my mind.
