Woman diagnosed with bowel cancer after ignoring a ‘normal’ symptom

Laura, 38, a mum of two, was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer after she ignored a crucial sign that she thought was ‘normal’. She believed it was simply a by-product of her demanding lifestyle. But it wasn’t. After being diagnosed with the condition in June 2025, she has undergone four rounds of chemotherapy.Laura, who has over 18,000 followers on TikTok, has documented her journey through recovery. In one of her videos, the mum explained how she ignored one crucial symptom she experienced. She thought it was ‘normal’, but it turned out to be a sign of cancer."I would have done things A LOT differently," the caption of her video read. The woman explained how she ignored the biggest red flag of the cancer. “I was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer at the age of 38, and this is my biggest regret: not listening to my body. I was so tired all the time and I just thought ‘this is normal’. I think a lot of us, especially working parents with young children, think ‘oh, this is normal, to feel tired’,” she said.Persistent fatigue is a telltale sign of many types of cancer. However, most people, like Laura, attribute it to a demanding lifestyle. “I’ve got really young children, I’m working, I don’t stop for a single second – I’m going to be tired. But actually, what my body was trying to tell me is ‘hey, something’s wrong’. And I ignored it, and I really, really wish I had gone to the GP sooner. They might have been able to catch it at an earlier stage and avoid chemo, for example,” the mum added.Laura was diagnosed with bowel cancer; however, other symptoms were largely absent. Though she experienced fatigue, she ignored it. “In fact, that was the only symptom that my body gave me that I had cancer, and I think a lot of us feel tired a lot of the time.”She is now encouraging others not to ignore this crucial sign. “But if you’re feeling really knackered, thinking ‘gosh, this is really affecting my day-to-day life’, you’re getting a full night’s sleep and you’re not feeling refreshed, please take this as a sign to go and get your bloods checked. Have a conversation with your GP and try to get to the bottom of why you’re so tired,” she said.“And for goodness’ sake, if they tell you you’re anaemic, please have a FIT test,” she concluded. A faecal immunochemical test (FIT) looks for blood in stool samples, which can be a key sign of bowel cancer.Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is a cancer that starts in the colon or rectum. It’s one of the most common types of cancer in the UK, according to the NHS.According to the NHS, the symptoms include:The NHS suggests contacting your GP if you have any of these symptoms for three weeks or more.