A 'fit and healthy' mother who died at the young age of 39 shared the symptoms she ignored prior to be diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer.
Krystal Maeyke's world was turned upside down on May 30, 2023, when she was told she had the deadly disease.
The mom from Australia thought 'stabbing pains that brought me to my knees' was because of a food intolerance, so thought the pain was nothing to worry about.
On top of that, Krystal was eating healthy and exercised on a regular basis.
Advert
But the pain reached truly uncomfortable levels to the point where Krystal was taken to Alice Springs Hospital for tests.
According to the Mail, she was in such pain that being given morphine 'did nothing' to help her and that only fentanyl was able to ease her symptoms.
Krystal received the devastating diagnosis in hospital that her cancer had spread 'everywhere'.
The mother then went back to the stabbing pains she experienced and realized they were a sign of something a lot more sinister than she initially thought.
Advert
"I thought it wasn’t anything sinister. That’s is why it became advanced cancer and spread all through my abdomen, liver, ovaries and starting from my bowel," Krystal said of her symptoms.
"I felt each stabbing pain, when it was spreading in my bowel with a tumour almost blocking my bowels. I felt the lump appear and was told it may just be a lymph node. That was the tumour I was feeling.
"And as it spread during that time, I felt it reach my ovaries as the stabbing pains continued. Never in a million years would I think that I would have this cruel disease in my body trying to kill me. Cancer hurts."
Advert
Krystal sadly died aged 39 on July 5, with a statement shared by her team saying she 'was surrounded by love and completely pain-free'.
As her condition deteriorated, she continued to share videos with her TikTok followers urging them to get their symptoms checked.
A GoFundMe set up by the mother to raise money for her son, Maison, and provide her family with support, is taking donations.
Advert
Symptoms of bowel cancer include:
- A change in bowel habits.
- Blood in or on your stool (bowel movement).
- Diarrhea, constipation, or feeling that the bowel does not empty all the way.
- Abdominal pain, aches, or cramps that don't go away.
- Weight loss and you don't know why.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.
Callum Jones