I misplaced my older sister to bowel most cancers at simply 35. She was a brand new mum and had her entire life forward of her. This is what she’d need all younger folks to know earlier than it is too late

Anna Sheely and her husband welcomed their first child into the world in 2019, and were overjoyed to start an exciting new chapter together as a family. 

Little did they know that just months later, Anna would receiver an earth-shattering diagnosis that would take her life.  

In May 2019, at just 34, the senior health lawyer was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer. It was just days after she celebrated her first Mother’s Day. 

Anna, from Brisbane, knew something was wrong when she felt a lump in her abdomen while lying down feeding her daughter. 

‘I think it’s cancer,’ Anna said to younger sister and best friend Claire at a Mother’s Day lunch. 

Speaking to FEMAIL, Claire recalled snapping back at her seemingly dramatic comment. 

‘I was like “don’t be silly, stop self-diagnosing yourself, it’ll be fine, stop stressing”,’ she recalled. 

But Anna was right. 

Anna had experienced a lengthy list of gut issues for ‘years and years’ dating back to when she finished high school, which doctors put down to IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) or food intolerances.

Symptoms included bloating, stomach pains, issues with bowel movements, rectal bleeding and having to go to the bathroom more frequently than normal.

Not once did doctors consider the cause may have been more serious. There was ‘always an easy explanation’ for the symptoms. 

‘Anna wanted to grow old, turn grey and watch her daughter grow up into a young adult – but she won’t be able to do that,’ Claire, now 37, told FEMAIL. 

‘My sister was always interested in health and taking care of herself. I remember mum and dad had a medical journal when we were little and Anna would always self-diagnose herself all the time. At one point she did want to be a doctor too.

‘It’s crazy because she was so in touch with her health. If anything was wrong she’d go to the doctor to get help. But I suppose it goes back to showing how there’s not enough education and resources about cancer among young people.’  

Claire laughed when recalling her sister always used to talk about bowel movements and had a book titled ‘What Does Your Poo Say About You?’ 

After tests, a colonoscopy and a biopsy on the lump in her stomach, Anna was called in to see her specialist who confirmed there were two tumours growing in her bowel. 

The bowel specialist believed the tumour was growing undetected in her bowel for five years. 

As both tumours were ‘high and tucked away’ she didn’t experienced ‘obvious’ symptoms like significant bleeding. 

Anna’s husband and Claire accompanied her on the day she was diagnosed.

Claire was outside the room looking after her niece when Anna walked out – Claire knew the results the moment she looked at her sister’s face.

‘She didn’t have to say anything, I already knew. She nodded and we burst into tears and hugged. It was incredibly emotional,’ Claire said. 

The family drove home in silence. 

Following the diagnosis Anna had surgery to remove the cancer. It was then surgeons discovered it had spread to her liver.

Doctors revealed Anna had a 14 per cent change of survival for five years, but this decreased to just four per cent after finding out it had spread to her liver.

The plan was then to do a round of chemotherapy to try and shrink the tumours in Anna’s liver, so they could then perform another surgery to remove those as well.

However, during a follow-up scan a few months into the chemotherapy treatment,  doctors noticed that the cancer had also spread to Anna’s lungs. To avoid the cancer spreading quicker, the surgery on the liver wasn’t performed.

At home over the coming weeks Anna noticed her body wasn’t allowing her to do everyday tasks such as chopping vegetables or standing for long periods of time. 

‘I think for her it was so frustrating that her mind was exactly the same but her body was changing and slowing down,’ Claire said. 

It all took a turn for the worse when Anna went off medication in hopes to participate in a clinical trial. At that point the only treatment option was getting onto to a clinical trial, but this was put off due to Covid. Consequently her health deteriorated quickly. 

‘She finally got a trial but had to come off her medication and steroids to be able to do that. To be honest, that was probably what was holding her together and she quickly went downhill after that,’ Claire said emotionally. 

Seeing Anna lying in a hospital bed was never where Claire ever imagined to see her older sister – especially not in her 30s. She took time off work from her busy newsroom job to visit her everyday for the last month of Anna’s life where she still held onto hope for a miracle. 

Even in the dire moments Anna was still thinking about others – she felt sorry for leaving Claire as an only child. 

‘I remember her saying to me, ‘I feel so sorry for you because it’ll just be you now. We won’t be able to go through life together anymore, even when mum and dad pass away”. That thought hadn’t even crossed my mind but goes to show how selfless she was,’ Claire said. 

During the final few weeks Anna made videos to family, friends, her husband and daughter about how much she loves them.

Before she passed away Claire recalled the final moments she had with her sister. 

‘Anna would slip in and out of consciousness a lot. The last time she was conscious she was looking at me and I told her “I love you so much” and all she could do was mouth the words back to me,’ Claire said through tears.

‘Watching a loved one die isn’t what you’d expect. They can slowly slip away for days, which is one of the hardest things to watch. My brother-in-law and I were basically living at the hospital because we knew it was coming. 

‘Towards the end she was there physically but not there at the same time for days. I could tell she was fighting to stay with us. But we told her, “it’s okay it’s time”, even though we didn’t want her to go.

‘During that time I spoke about some of our favourite memories as kids growing up and when we travelled abroad together as young adults. I told her I would be there for her daughter, my niece, and be there for her. 

‘Anna wants me to teach her daughter how to make cupcakes we had growing up and to tell her about who who she was as a person. But I do feel very privileged to have the opportunity to say goodbye to somebody, because most people don’t.’

Looking back Claire remembers her sister as the fit, funny, bubbly person she was along with the great mother she became – despite not wanting kids when she was younger. 

‘Life was so different – we had so much fun together. She loved cooking, never ate processed foods but did enjoy sweets and going out on weekends,’ Claire said. 

‘She was never a gym person but was still active. When we were young adults she wasn’t really interested in children then one day she started getting clucky.’ 

Now Claire hopes more research goes into bowel cancer because it’s increasingly proven to not just be an ‘old person’s’ disease’. 

Data shows a disturbing number of young Aussies aged between 20 and 40 are being diagnosed with cancer – and the statistics are rising internationally too. 

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in Australia and the second leading cause of cancer death. According to research by Bowel Cancer Australia, one in nine patients are diagnosed under 50. 

Doctors and scientists are yet to determine the root cause of the cancer – though health experts have considered if an unhealthy diet of processed foods, stress or anxiety come into play. 

Doctor who is dedicating her career to solving mystery of colon cancer in young people reveals what could be causing explosion of cases – and the three warning signs of disease

By Cassidy Morrison, Senior Health Reporter for DailyMail.com

Dr Kimmie Ng has become a frontline witness to one of the greatest medical mysteries of her generation.

The Boston oncologist has launched one of the world’s first centres dedicated to studying an explosion of cancers in young people.

In the 1990s, doctors began seeing a rise in the number of otherwise healthy people under 50 being stricken with cancer, especially colorectal cancer. 

Three decades later, scientists expect the number of early-onset colon cancer sufferers will double by 2030 in what some have labelled an ‘epidemic’. 

Dr Ng, who specialises in gastrointestinal cancers, which also include cancers of the stomach and pancreas, said the days of cancer being a disease of the elderly was over.

‘That is not what we’re seeing in our clinics. Actually, these very, very young people are often very healthy,’ she said.

‘They’re very active, exercise a lot, follow healthy diets, and they don’t have a history of cancer in their family and they don’t have a background of a genetic syndrome.’

This new alarming cohort don’t have cancer in the family, don’t smoke and drink less than previous generations.

Dr Ng said: ‘Why are these otherwise healthy young people in the prime of their lives developing cancer and often very advanced stages of cancer?’

Among children ages 10 to 14 in America since 2000, colorectal cancers have increased 500 per cent and among teens aged 15 to 19 the rise was 333 per cent, even though the overall numbers of cases are still relatively low in these groups.

Dr Ng said that until doctors know more, patients under 50 must be vigilant for alarming symptoms of the cancer.

The main three signs that appear years before a diagnosis are: blood in stool, changes in bowel movements and stomach pains.

She added that fatigue and unexplained weight loss are also highly suggestive.

Junk food, plastic pollution and the overuse of antibiotics are some of the factors theorised to be behind the rise in early onset cancers, but the evidence is inconclusive.

At the Young Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Dr Ng is exploring how dozens of factors, including diet, sleep, supplementation and drinking habits are playing a role in this increase. 

‘I see patients one day a week and the rest of my time is spent running the [new centre], which really focuses on young people under the age of 50 who are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, as well as conducting research on the diet and lifestyle factors that may impact how long a patient lives with colorectal cancer.’ 

In her work, she has also discovered vitamin D levels may play a role in cancer development.

Her research showed higher levels of it in the blood was associated with longer survival in people with CRC cancer, especially in stages three and four, which suggests the vitamin plays a protective role.

But how that factors into the rise in young people is still a mystery.

So too is the apparent link between breastfeeding and colon cancer.

One 2023 study found that having been breastfed as an infant was associated with a 23 per cent increased risk of colorectal cancer later in life, and Dr Ng said this corresponded with findings from other studies she’s reviewed.

But Dr Ng said this is no reason to stop breastfeeding your baby.

‘We did see an association between women who reported that they were breastfed as an infant in developing polyps [in their colon], including high risk polyps before they were age 50,’ she said.

‘And we know that these polyps are the precursor lesion to developing colorectal cancer later on. So that association was seen and does seem pretty consistent across different studies.’ 

The findings indicated a need for more research into how this association holds up in larger groups over a lifetime. 

‘And I think, again, this really is going to be pointing back to some environmental change that’s happened recently that is likely contributing to why this is happening.’

In 2010, there were 306 cases of GI cancers per capita of adults aged 20 to 29. That rose to 485 in 2019, an increase of 58 percent. For people 30 to 39, the number rose 44 percent, from 1,184 cases per capita in 2010 to 1,710 cases per capita in 2019.

But among older people, who remain the most likely to get cancer, the rate of incidence and mortality has been falling. 

Dr Ng said: ‘So we know overall the silver lining is that colorectal cancer has been declining… if you consider people of all ages.

And that is largely due to successes of screening programs, better adherence to screening and also improved treatments.

‘But this same benefit and improvement has not been seen in people under the age of 50. 

‘And we do think it’s probably an environmental exposure or risk factor or combination of such that is likely leading to the rise of this disease in younger people.’

She added: ‘I think the take-home message is that there is an urgency to doing the research here to understanding what are the risk factors underlying this rise, what are the causes? 

‘And if we understood that, then we can identify the young people who are at high risk and target them for earlier screening.’

Colorectal, stomach and pancreatic cancers are among the most aggressive, especially if the diagnosis is delayed, which they often are due to how common their main symptoms are: sore stomach, nausea and changes to toilet habits.

GI cancers include those in the stomach, esophagus, colon and rectum, liver, pancreas, gall bladder, and small intestine. 

Dr Ng has advocated for years for the government and doctor groups to lower the age at which screening begins in people under 45 – something that came to fruition in 2021.

And while there has been some chatter about even younger groups getting regularly tested, Dr Ng said the youngest groups still account for a small share of cases.

Approximately 150,000 patients are diagnosed each year with colorectal cancer in the U.S. About 18,000 of them are under the age of 50, Dr Ng said. 

But she is raising awareness about the early warning signs. 

‘So the most common symptom that young patients present with is actually seeing blood in their stool. The second most common is abdominal or pelvic discomfort and a sense of bloating.

‘And other red flag symptoms may include a change in your bowel habits. So new diarrhea, new constipation, a change in the caliber of the stool, including thinner pencil-thin stools.’

She added that unintentional weight loss, fatigue and shortness of breath when physically exerting oneself ‘may indicate that anemia is present. Those are the most common symptoms that often lead to a diagnosis of colorectal cancer.’

Cancer is often thought of as an older person’s disease. Throughout one’s life, cell damage builds up and causes cells to behave differently. Sometimes, they refuse to die off or replicate beyond what is normal, contributing to a build-up of what become cancerous cells.

Thirty-three year old Alyssa Burks was diagnosed with extremely aggressive stomach cancer in 2021. Repeat lab tests and blood panels came back normal, despite her fatigue, unintentional weight loss, trouble swallowing and severe heartburn. 

It wasn’t until 2023 that she underwent a colonoscopy, which uncovered a cancerous polyp. It set off a domino effect of doctor’s appointments, rounds of chemo, surgery to remove her stomach where the cancer had spread, and surgical removal of her reproductive organs. 

After the surgery to remove her ovaries at 33, her doctor told her that her cancer was ‘very angry’: ‘It expanded throughout my stomach and climbed further into my esophagus. It was detected in 27 lymph nodes, which indicated it metastasized to other parts of my body. I wasn’t cancer-free at all – instead, I was dealing with an extremely aggressive form.’ 

Most recent testing showed that the cancer was still in her body, doctors just could not determine where. It’s a symptom of gaps in the medical community’s knowledge of how and why cancers spread so ferociously in people under 50. 

She said: ‘Currently, I’m in this strange position where I know I still have cancer, but it’s not being treated. It feels weird to just leave it alone. 

‘I’m going to get a full-body scan to see where it might have spread in my body, but imaging tests aren’t great at picking up my type of cancer. Still, I’m hoping it will give me some answers so that I can press my team for other treatment before it gets worse.’ 

Cases of colorectal cancers in young people are expected to double by 2030. And while obesity – which affects 42 per cent of Americans – is a driving factor of CRC and other cancers, it cannot be the sole explanation.

Dr Andrea Cercek, an oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said: ‘The rise in obesity alone does not explain the growth of GI cancers in younger people.

‘We are also looking at other possible factors, including toxins we may be ingesting in our food, like hormones, or changes caused by antibiotics to the microbiome in our bodies, which are bacteria and other microbes that help us digest our food. All of these and more are being investigated.’

Scientists have recently begun to focus on forever chemicals, including microplastics, which have penetrated the bodies of 97 per cent of Americans, as a driving force.

The chemicals devised by home goods giant 3M in the 1940s are extremely persistent in the environment and the human body, taking months or even years to break down.

Studies have suggested these chemicals can cause widespread inflammation in bodily tissues, high blood pressure, hormone interference, thyroid disease, high cholesterol and a weakened immune system.

All of this raises the risk of developing a wide array of cancers beyond just gastrointestinal, including ovarian, kidney, breast and testicular cancers.

Cancers that have spread beyond organs in the GI tract are far more likely to be fatal.

Late-stage colon cancer has a five-year survival rate of about 13 per cent, and that of rectum cancer is 18 per cent.

Pancreatic cancer that has spread, meanwhile, has a survival rate of about 15 per cent.

Dr Ng said thanks in part to her pioneering research, the future in medical advancements looks bright: ‘The hope in science is limitless and it has resulted in discoveries that have changed the way patients are treated and that has more than doubled the survival of patients with colorectal cancer.

‘There are advances being made every day. The longer you are around, and thriving on treatment, the more new advances will be made.’