Vicki Steyert's journey from misdiagnosis to a pioneering treatment offers hope and highlights the urgency of early detection.
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Vicki Steyert’s life took a dramatic turn when she found herself rushing to the bathroom up to ten times a day. Living in Wigan, Manchester, she had never experienced such distressing symptoms before. Alarmingly, she began noticing blood in her stool.
This was not just a passing issue; something was seriously wrong.
The struggle for a diagnosis
At just 33 years old, when Vicki approached her GP, she expected answers. Instead, the tests returned clear results. She was reassured by her doctor that it was likely a case of irritable bowel syndrome, a condition that’s unpleasant but not life-threatening.
But Vicki knew her body better than anyone. With a second child on the way, she sought a second opinion from a private consultant, who echoed the initial diagnosis. Blood and stool tests showed nothing alarming.
“I brought up bowel cancer,” Vicki recalled. “I had Googled my symptoms and asked how he could be so sure it wasn’t that. He dismissed my concerns, saying I looked fine and was too young for bowel cancer.” Such reassurances did little to quell her growing anxiety.
A devastating discovery
The turning point came six weeks after giving birth, during a visit to her GP for recurrent urinary tract infections. A scan revealed abnormalities on her liver. The shocking news followed: Vicki had bowel cancer that had spread to her liver, leaving her with lesions. Her world shattered. With two young boys, Alex and Charlie, she was informed her condition was incurable and that treatment would focus on palliative care.
Yet, against all odds, Vicki’s story took a miraculous turn. Four years later, she is cancer-free, thanks to a groundbreaking transplant procedure, one of only two performed in the UK.
The rise of bowel cancer in young adults
Once deemed a disease of the elderly, bowel cancer cases among young people have surged by an alarming 52% among 25 to 49-year-olds since the early ’90s. These early-onset cases are often diagnosed later, when the cancer has already spread, complicating treatment options.
One notable figure is Dame Deborah James, who was diagnosed with incurable colon cancer at just 35. Her story raised millions for cancer research during her final months. Vicki’s experience echoes this troubling trend, emphasizing the urgency for awareness and early detection, especially among younger demographics.
Raising awareness and advocating for yourself
Vicki believes her concerns were dismissed due to her age and the absence of typical symptoms. “I asked the consultant what to look out for,” she said. “He told me to come back if I experienced uncontrollable bleeding or persistent diarrhea, neither of which I had.” This lack of communication can be deadly.
Symptoms of bowel cancer can include blood in stools, changes in bowel habits, or the presence of a lump that causes obstruction. Vicki’s tumor manifested as a thickening of the colon wall, a subtle yet dangerous sign that went unnoticed.
A path to recovery
Initially, doctors declared her cancer inoperable due to multiple lesions on her liver. But after beginning chemotherapy and a targeted treatment called panitumumab, something miraculous happened. Within six months, tiny cancer particles in her blood became nearly undetectable, leaving her medical team stunned.
Hope flickered when Vicki learned about a pioneering surgery being trialed in Norway, aimed at offering liver transplants to patients like her. “I was told it would soon be available on the NHS,” she said. “It became a waiting game, but at least I had something to cling to.”
Embracing a new lease on life
In the summer of 2024, the surgery she had hoped for became a reality. Vicki was the second person in the UK to undergo this groundbreaking transplant. Nearly a year later, she stands cancer-free, though she must take immunosuppressants for the rest of her life to prevent her body from rejecting the new liver.
“In the cancer world, nobody likes to say the word ‘cure’, but that’s what we hope this is,” she expressed with a mix of disbelief and gratitude. Regular scans every three months are now part of her life, but they no longer carry the same weight they once did.
Back at home, planning a summer holiday with her family, Vicki hopes her story serves as a beacon of hope for other cancer patients. “I wish I had pushed for answers sooner,” she said. “You must be your own advocate—do your research and ask questions. Don’t let anyone dismiss your concerns.”
