Fit and healthy mum diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer

A young mum-of-two was forced to stop working and put her studies on hold when she was delivered a life-changing cancer diagnosis a week before her 33rd birthday. 

Melissa Dunmore, from Melbourne, was handed the news on February 8 after surgeons found a 20cm tumour in her colon along with 11 tiny pre-cancerous polyps. 

Melissa had stage three bowel cancer. She had no family history of the disease and her only symptoms were slightly low iron and a small amount of blood in her stools. 

Still processing the news, the mum was faced with an intense treatment schedule and within three weeks had surgery to remove her entire large colon and surrounding lymph nodes.

To add to her stress, her family was also forced to move out of their home after her husband Jak, an electrician, lost his job when his employer shut down.

After Melissa gave birth to her second child, Lakyn, 18 months ago she noticed blood in her stools and thought it was related to the birth and resulting hemorrhoids. 

At the time she was working casual hours in retail, wasn’t entitled to any annual leave and didn’t think it was worrying enough to see a doctor.

But in November 2023 she woke up feeling ‘really sick’ and had intense stomach pain with rectal bleeding so visited the emergency room where she collapsed. 

Doctors weren’t able to perform a colonoscopy due to the bowel preparation required so Melissa was put on an urgent waiting list instead.

‘I was told I needed to be seen within 30 days and couldn’t wait longer than two weeks… I ended up waiting three months because my urgent colonoscopy request got lost in the system,’ she said. 

‘By January I still hadn’t heard anything and was constantly checking my phone and answering every phone call.’ 

While the bleeding continued, it had slowed and ‘wasn’t that bad’. Meanwhile her GP had conducted blood tests which showed she had low iron – a known symptom of bowel cancer.

Melissa eventually managed to book the life-changing colonoscopy.

‘I woke up in recovery and my husband was there with me,’ she recalled. 

‘The surgeon came, closed the drape and my heart sank. He said, “It’s not good” and I remember looking at my husband’s face – he was white as a ghost.

‘We went home and just cried while holding each other. We didn’t know how serious it was at the time or if it had spread.’

Melissa was then faced with breaking the news to her two young children.

‘I sat down with them both and explained in basic terms what was wrong. They knew I went to get a colonoscopy and the next day after we found out I said “the doctors found a really big germ in my body that needs to come out”,’ she said. 

‘My daughter scrunched up her face and said “Ew mum!” It was quite a lighthearted conversation because they’re still so young and don’t quite understand.

‘It’s not something you ever think you’re going to need to tell your children. But we’re a very open family and we always talk about feelings.’

The first time Melissa came home from chemotherapy with a bottle connected to the port in her chest, her children had many questions. 

She explained to them that it was the ‘medicine that’s going to make her better even if it looks a bit scary’ and they coped with it well.

Melissa started chemotherapy on April 18 and her 12 rounds will be completed at the end of September. 

In the first few weeks the drug dose was so strong she had neuropathy (cold, sensitive hands) and her throat closed up so she couldn’t drink any fluids. 

Her dosage was decreased but she still experienced common side effects including vomiting, diarrhoea, fatigue, hot flushes and no period. 

With Melissa in and of treatment every few weeks, her husband is now a stay-at-home dad handling school drop offs and grocery shopping.

The pair have been living off their savings while staying at Jak’s parents place, and are grateful to have family close by to assist with the kids. 

Since starting treatment Melissa has lost 15kg, suffered muscle loss and is losing her hair. 

‘I knew once I heard the word “cancer” that hair loss comes with it,’ she said, adding that she still wasn’t prepared for how much her life would change. 

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‘Emotionally and mentally I have good and bad days. There’s times I ask myself “Can I do this?” but I’m lucky I have a really great support network around me.’ 

Melissa has also been referred to Peter Mac for genetic testing to determine whether her kids will need early testing and colonoscopies from 16. 

By sharing her story, she hopes young people realise bowel cancer is not the ‘old person’s disease’ they are led to believe it is.

‘Be in tune with your body, your health, toilet habits, check your breasts for lumps, do it all,’ she said.

‘Please talk to professionals and friends about health issues, never just shrug things off.’ 

If you’d like to contribute to Melissa’s GoFundMe, click here.