Aisling Gallagher was so rarely ill that she didn’t even register with a GP
Aisling Gallagher(Image: Jam Press/galsgoss)
A woman diagnosed with rectal cancer at just 28 has revealed the warning signs to watch for – asnew data shows an alarming increase in cancer rates amongst younger people. Aisling Gallagher was “super healthy” and enjoying her dream job when an unexpected dash to the bathroom resulted in a life-altering diagnosis, leaving her heartbroken.
The young woman had observed a shift in her bowel habits, discovering she needed to hurry to the toilet with “urgency”. When she began noticing blood in her stool and experiencing bloating, she eventually consulted her GP, and a colonoscopy several months later uncovered the cause.
While Aisling’s experience may seem unusual, statistics from Cancer Research UK published this week reveal that overall cancer incidence rates in 25 to 49-year-olds across the UK rose by 24% between the early 1990s and 2019.
“It’s really sad and quite scary to read the latest statistics,” Aisling, a retail manager and content creator from Belfast, told NeedToKnow. “I’m celebrating my fifth year in remission and am forever grateful to be in this position – however, cancer has still taken so much from me and it is so important to keep shouting about the importance of early detection.
“From my experience, the main things I continue to share are the importance of knowing when your body slips out of ‘normal’. I had changes in my bowel movements which developed into bloating, pain, and no appetite.
‘I was always super healthy, I didn’t even register for a GP'(Image: Jam Press/galsgoss)
“I knew something wasn’t right as this wasn’t my day-to-day routine – that’s when you need to really take a minute to listen to the warning signs. I was young, fit and healthy – there is zero discrimination with cancer.”
Aisling, who was pursuing her “dream job” as a personal shopper for Topshop in London at the time, had initially brushed off early symptoms of frequently needing to use the toilet urgently.
She said: “I was always super healthy and had zero health conditions. I didn’t even register for a GP when I moved to London, as I never had to visit.”
It wasn’t until she returned home in March 2020 that she finally decided to consult her doctor. Although an initial examination took place and further tests were scheduled, lockdown was announced just two days later, bringing everything to a halt.
Between March and August, Aisling “quickly deteriorated”. She shed a stone in weight due to a loss of appetite, and continued to notice blood in her stool.
Aisling said: “It was extremely scary – I knew deep down something was very wrong.” Eventually, blood tests were carried out and she was urgently called in for a colonoscopy, during which a tumour was discovered in her rectum, leading to the life-altering diagnosis of stage-two rectal cancer.
Aisling pictured recently (Image: Jam Press/galsgoss)
Shortly after, the company she worked for collapsed into administration, forcing her to leave her life in London behind and return home. She swiftly began treatment in October 2020, undergoing radiation therapy on her pelvis alongside oral chemotherapy to reduce the tumour.
However, this proved unsuccessful, and Aisling subsequently underwent anterior resection surgery, including the fitting of a temporary stoma, in February 2021. She said: “It was extremely tough, but the cancer was successfully removed.
“However, by this point, it had spread into 11 of my lymph nodes, so I then needed more chemo to try and prevent it from returning.” That April, she embarked on a further six months of chemotherapy.
Aisling was warned that the treatment would leave her infertile, and she has since entered the menopause. “The infertility was the biggest shock and heartbreak to get over.
“I went to see a specialist at the time, but it wasn’t possible for me to freeze any eggs before the treatment started. I was devastated and honestly still am – it’s the hardest thing to navigate. Whether you want to have a child or not, having your choice taken away is cruel.”
Fortunately, the treatment proved successful, and that November Aisling received the all-clear, with the stoma reversal surgery taking place the following month. She has chronicled her entire experience over the past six years – something she feels strongly about, in a bid to raise awareness of bowel cancer.
Aisling said: “I would never have thought it would be me to have that diagnosis and now I am living with life-changing consequences. The things that come alongside cancer treatment are things I never knew happened – like being infertile and going through the menopause following radiation.
“I also have to take HRT and use laxatives every day to keep my body at some sort of normal function. But I haven’t let any of this stop me from living my life and I take any opportunity that I can – if this has taught me anything, it’s that life is too short.
“Tomorrow is promised to nobody. As I approach my final few check-ups with my oncologist and hopefully celebrate five years in remission, the message is as prevalent as ever.
“If you know you don’t feel right – get it checked. Cancer does not discriminate and your health is your superpower.”