A “fit and healthy” mother’s bloating and stomach cramps were tragically revealed to be symptoms of terminal bowel cancer. Cecilia Capolupo, 46, sought medical advice after returning from a holiday in Devon feeling “bloated”, following indulging in pasties and fish and chips with her children.
Initially, the mother-of-two was told she likely had an infection, but a colonoscopy in September 2025 revealed she had stage-four bowel cancer. Doctors informed her that an eight-centimetre tumour had spread to her abdominal wall, liver and lungs, giving her a life expectancy of two years.
Cecilia, originally from Argentina but now residing in Clapham, London, said: “I came back bloated from holiday, then had stomach cramps and went to get checked out. Then I went to a routine colonoscopy and they gave me a death sentence on the same day.”
She continued: “I had a panic attack, which I’ve never had in my life. I woke up at 2am crying. I don’t wish this for anybody. On the weekends, I call my friends and family to tell them I’m dying and say goodbye.”
Prior to her diagnosis, Cecilia enjoyed a week-long holiday in Devon with her Scottish husband Mark, 45, and their two sons Máximo, six, and Rocco, four. The Pilates-loving mum, who was “always slim”, said she “felt so healthy and never thought about having stomach checks” before the trip.
Five days after returning home with bloating and stomach cramps, she noticed “a tiny bit of red” in her stool. Immediately seeking medical advice from her GP, Cecilia was reassured it was likely an infection, but scheduled a “routine” colonoscopy at Lister Hospital on September 26. On the day, she “knew it was bad news” when Mark was summoned from the waiting room to hear the doctors’ findings.
“They said we have something that looks like a tumour,” she revealed. “It was a massive shock. I never had the typical symptoms.
“Never constipated or had diarrhoea. I go to the loo perfectly fine.
“The same day, the consultant called me and said it was incurable. He said you have it everywhere – all my abdominal wall, liver and lungs.
“I thought ‘how can it be my lungs? I do bike class, I go dancing with my friends until two o’clock in the morning’.”
Cecilia now undergoes chemotherapy sessions every two weeks as well as receiving treatment at home. After four rounds of chemo, she feels “like a 90-year-old lady” with the “worst hangover of all time”.
She said: “I’m not planning to die any time soon. The doctors told me I probably have two years.
“In five years with stage-four cancer, there is a 13 per cent survival rate. I’m going for it and more if I can.
“I’m planning on going back to work. I have to get on with my life. I’ve started going back to my Pilates class.”
Bowel cancer ranks as the third most prevalent cancer in the UK, impacting one in 20 women and one in 15 men. While Australia has implemented universal bowel screenings for individuals aged 45 and above, patients in England, Scotland and Wales only receive test kits from the age of 50.
Cecilia said: “I rushed when I had my first symptom and it was too late. If I had had the check at 45, I’d be in a much better situation.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
