Silent as the Falling Snow: My experience with bowel cancer

This is a short personal story about my experiences with bowel cancer. It is an account from the time of realising something was wrong, to referrals, undergoing investigations, diagnosis and treatment. I have tried to include the physical and emotional aspects of my condition as well as the processes that begin once we have a medical problem such as bowel cancer. This short story is framed around an 18-month period. I have mentioned everything that was going on at this time, because we do not exist in isolation. No matter what events take place for us as individuals, life goes on around us; the good, the bad and the ugly, including for me, the worry of my son's fight with kidney failure compared to the joy of my wife being presented with the Dr Kate Granger award for compassionate care. This small book is aimed to be informative, sometimes humorous I hope, but above all to give insight into the thoughts, feelings and journey of a cancer sufferer. It aims to demystify the procedures, surgery and chemotherapy involved, hopefully accurately, but is written by someone who is not medically qualified and therefore there may be some inaccuracies. I hope it gives hope to those diagnosed with bowel cancer. It may also be of interest to those who wonder what it is like to have a cancer diagnosis. I will forever be indebted to the fast and competent actions of my wife and the amazing skills of my colorectal surgeon, Professor Mark Coleman. However, I would also like to thank the gastroenterologist, who identified the tumour, those who carried out the scans and interpreted them, the nurses who looked after me, the oncology team who monitored and administered my chemo and all friends and relatives for their emotional support. I cannot fault my care in the NHS; in my opinion it remains a wonderful institution, my care has been exemplary, and I owe a huge debt to all of the above.