“I need my life to be as normal as possible …." ~ Sarah

Misdiagnosis, symptom dismissal and age bias dominated Sarah’s health for over 5 years until she was eventually diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer aged 29. Chatting with Stephanie on The Bottom Line Podcast, she delves into the difficulty in being heard as a young woman and the importance of advocating for your own health regardless of age.

“Keep pushing ... that feeling that you have that something’s not quite right – you need to listen to it and act!”

Sarah chats honestly about the difficulties facing her as a young woman including fertility preservation and how her endometriosis was rationalised as the problem masking her bowel cancer symptoms. She also opens up about how her diagnosis amplified her mental health challenges and the lack of support after treatment.

“You are kicked out of the nest and expected to fly. When the treatment ends is when the real healing begins – this is when you really sit with what has happened.”

Listen now to Sarah’s story of persistence, vulnerability and resilience on The Bottom Line Podcast.