A mum undergoing live-streamed surgery to remove a polyp from her bowel was left shocked after doctors discovered she had cancer during the operation.
When Laura Corby, from Deal, agreed to have her treatment recorded as part of a training programme for surgeons, she expected everything to be straightforward.
Laura Corby initially went to hospital to have a polyp removed, but was later told she had cancer
But instead of removing a benign growth in her bowel, her surgical team found what looked like cancer and had to halt the surgery as experts watching from around the globe agreed.
Laura was told her the devastating news when she woke from the anaesthetic.
Speaking during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, the 54-year-old mum of two said: “It was such a shock, because everyone had thought it was benign.
“But I was guided by the surgeons and the team, and I feel very fortunate it was caught when it was as it hadn’t spread and it was diagnosed early.”
Laura, who works for Dover District Council and was leading on the revamp of Deal Leisure Centre when she fell ill, first started experiencing pain in her stomach while on holiday in August 2024.
Laura Corby was told the devastating news when she woke from the anaesthetic
She spoke to her GP when she returned, and a sample of her stool was tested for blood which can be a sign of bowel cancer – but it came back clear.
Several other tests followed and she was diagnosed with gallstones.
She said: “I thought something was wrong, but I had a thorough MOT and nothing was coming up.
“I still had issues with pain, and I was seeing things in my bowel movements I wasn’t happy with.
“Then a poo test came through the post for the bowel screening programme in early summer 2025. I sent it off and this time the results came back confirming there were traces of blood.
“I had a colposcopy, and that was when they removed a few small polyp growths in my bowel. I was advised that one larger polyp, which looked benign, would have to be surgically removed.
Laura Corby says she couldn’t have got this far without her family
“It should have been a simple procedure and I agreed to be part of a training course, but when the surgeons actually saw it they said it looked like cancer.
“There were expert surgeons across the globe participating and they all agreed it couldn’t be taken out that day.”
Laura later had surgery to remove the tumour and 30cm of her bowel at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate in October.
She was left with a temporary stoma – an opening in her stomach to bypass her bowel.
She said: “The stoma team were fantastic, but my experience with the stoma was incredibly difficult to deal with.
Laura Corby is now on the road to recovery
“I was so sick because my body rejected it – I kept getting blockages, which caused muscular spasm pain and vomiting.
“I lost lots of weight as my body was exhausted and I became very weak.
“It was extremely challenging and I ended up back in hospital five times for five days each emergency trip.
“I was meant to have the stoma for six months but the team reversed it after six weeks as they could see how ill it was making me.
“Even throughout that, I felt so grateful because my cancer hadn’t spread and was caught early so I didn’t need to have chemotherapy or any other treatment.
“I could put up with anything, because I knew I would get to an end point.
“The experience has brought my family closer together. My sisters live abroad and came to England to look after me. My husband and children gave me strength through every step, every day.
Laura had surgery to remove the tumour and 30cm of her bowel at the QEQM in Margate
“I lead a very healthy, active lifestyle, but I still got cancer. It doesn’t care who you are, this can happen to anyone.
“That’s why I tell everyone to do the poo test when it comes through the post and doing anything I can to raise awareness.
“This experience has helped me appreciate the simple things, like walking the dog and just being with my family and the people I love – I was desperate to do that when I was in hospital.
“You start to realise that most so called issues are first-world problems. They aren’t really problems at all – if you have your health and your family, that’s what truly matters.”
The special diet Laura had to follow while the stoma was in place possibly triggered inflammation of her gallstones.
She is due to have her gallbladder removed later this month.
Symptoms of bowel cancer include changes in bowel habits, blood in stool, abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, and fatigue.