Overview
- After 18 months of intermittent stomach pain and vomiting, Charlotte Rutherford was diagnosed in December 2020 at age 26 with Stage 3B bowel cancer following an emergency operation for a blocked colon.
- Surgeons removed the tumour and affected lymph nodes, then doctors gave 12 weeks of preventative chemotherapy, and she was told she was in remission on April 6, 2021.
- A routine scan in February 2023 revealed the cancer had spread to her lung, leading to a Stage 4 diagnosis, and she weighed chemotherapy’s fertility risks before choosing surgery.
- Doctors removed the small lung tumour by keyhole surgery in April 2023, and she was reported to be in remission again by August 2023.
- Now 32 and working for cancer charity Mission Remission in Bristol, she is urging symptom checks during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month as Bowel Cancer UK reports more than 2,500 under‑50 diagnoses each year and highlights the Stage4You support campaign.