Daycare Worker Discovers Life-Threatening Cancer After Dismissed Symptoms

ROCHDALE, England — Chloe Wakelin, a 25-year-old daycare worker, faced a devastating diagnosis after her initial cancer symptoms were misdiagnosed. In 2023, she began experiencing severe gastrointestinal symptoms that she and her doctor attributed to a stomach bug she likely contracted from the children in her care.

Despite her persistent symptoms, including bloating, nausea, and fatigue, tests for Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome returned negative results. Her doctor ultimately concluded that it was simply a stomach virus. ‘I didn’t have the typical symptoms for bowel cancer,’ Wakelin explained. ‘I had no bloody stool or weight loss, which made it easy to dismiss.’

However, the severity of her condition escalated in December 2023 when she vomited a substance she described as resembling ‘cigarette tar.’ Alarmed, she sought treatment at the hospital but left without any tests. It wasn’t until she returned a month later—when visible signs of liver failure began to manifest with yellowing skin and eyes—that she received proper medical attention.

After an urgent scan, doctors discovered a tumor in her colon and identified a life-threatening condition resulting from a severe infection response. ‘I was told that if I didn’t have the surgery, I would have had 12 hours to live,’ Wakelin recounted. The emergency procedure involved removing 25 centimeters of her bowel and lymph nodes affected by the cancer.

Wakelin was outfitted with a stoma, allowing for an alternative way of waste elimination, which she described as a humbling experience. ‘Waking up in recovery, I felt like everything had crumbled around me,’ she said.

The experience has prompted Wakelin to advocate for increased awareness of colon cancer symptoms in younger people. ‘You always think you’re too young at 25; it’s a disease that typically affects older individuals,’ she said. Recent studies indicate that rates of colon cancer diagnoses and related mortality are on the rise among those under 50.

‘I’d just like to remind everyone not to be ashamed to visit their doctor for any troubling symptoms, regardless of age,’ Wakelin stated. ‘It can affect anyone.’