“Brighter Days Are Coming”: Oscar’s Journey with Bowel Cancer

“I had abdominal cramps, mostly on the right side of my bowel. I went to see my GP in June 2021 in the UK complaining about the pain I was experiencing, and they did some blood tests, but nothing sinister showed on the results. I carried on since the blood was ‘normal’, but boy, how wrong was I?

In December 2021, the pain was excruciating, and I started vomiting now and again. Little did I know this was food being blocked. The doctor put it down to IBS. I was prescribed some Mebeverin and peppermint tablets to help with the cramps and the IBS. Finally, in March 2022, my GP requested I get a FIT done, and that’s when everything turned upside down. The test came back positive for bowel cancer.

I had a colonoscopy done on April 10, 2022, and they saw a tumour, about 5 cm in size. I had a CT scan and an MRI scan in late April 2022, and both confirmed I had bowel cancer. It wasn’t a shock, as the FIT had kind of prepared me for the news. Luckily, at the time, it was local. I had a right hemicolectomy to remove the tumour on May 24, 2022. The histology result showed one of my lymph nodes had cancerous cells. I was advised that I would need chemotherapy.

I started my 12 cycles of FOLFOX on July 12, 2022. That ended in February 2023. The delay was due to neuropathy and neutropenia. I had a scan on my birthday in March, and two weeks later, the results came back as no evidence of disease (NED). I thought I had seen the back of it. I had a colonoscopy in July 2023, and it came back okay. Fast forward to August 2023, and my CEA test showed a rise in the markers. I had a CT scan again, and that came back NED. The surgeon sent me to Oxford for a specialist PET/CT scan in September 2023, and it showed glucose uptake on the anastomosis joint in the bowel. I then had a colonoscopy again, and the samples were benign. It was a relief. I had another CT scan in February 2024 and again, NED. The doctor advised I have an MRI scan just to make sure things were okay inside.

I came to New Zealand because my partner was already here. I then had the MRI done in April 2024. I had my results on May 6, 2024. The doctor said you have cancerous activity on your liver and around the abdomen.

It was a shock, as all my scans had been showing NED. It was not the news I wanted to hear, but I had to accept it and get on with it. In May 2024, I had a PET/CT scan again, and it pretty much confirmed what the MRI had shown. I was referred to clinical oncology. I started my second-line treatment of FOLFIRI on July 12, 2024. The oncologist also advised that I get Avastin, and unfortunately, that isn’t funded here. I am in the process of raising some of the funds via GiveaLittle. In September 2024, the CT scan showed progression, a very concerning scenario. In October 2024, I started Avastin as an extra to FOLFIRI.

I had a CT scan in November 2024 and had the result in December, and that showed that Avastin was working well since tumours reduced in size and there was no new metastatic disease. I am currently having the treatment, and my CEA is dropping at a slow pace because I have low volume disease. Long may it continue. My latest CT scan done in March 2025 shows no progression, tumours are shrinking, and CEA markers are coming down. I am responding well to treatment, which is a relief.

My oncologist said I would be in a really bad situation had I not started Avastin. Longevity has its place in life, and like anybody, I would like to live. I worry about the unsustainability of paying for the drug in the long-term.

It is hard. This disease doesn’t discriminate whether you are young or old. It seems a lot of us younger people are on the receiving end of it.

In my free time, I find passion in computer coding, mathematics with Python and Maple and reading on my Kindle.

To all those going through this disease, we got this. Brighter days are coming. Hopefully, there will be better-funded drugs in the future. To our carers and crowdfunding donors, thank you for your support. Misfortune doesn’t mean it is all over, after all, adversity builds resilience. There’s always hope. Remember, every storm eventually runs out of rain. Keep smiling”.