A young mother of two was forced to stop working and suspend her studies when she was diagnosed with life-changing cancer a week before her 33rd birthday.
Melissa Dunmore, from Melbourne, received the news on February 8 after surgeons found a 20cm tumor in her colon along with 11 small precancerous polyps.
Melissa had stage three bowel cancer. She had no family history of the disease and her only symptoms were slightly low iron levels and a small amount of blood in her stool.
Still processing the news, the mother faced an intense treatment program and within three weeks underwent surgery to remove her entire large colon and surrounding lymph nodes.
Adding 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 closed.
A young mother-of-two was forced to stop working and suspend her studies when she was diagnosed with momentous bowel cancer a week before her 33rd birthday.
Melissa Dunmore, from Melbourne, received the news on February 8 after surgeons found a 20cm tumor in her colon along with 11 small precancerous polyps.
After Melissa gave birth to her second child, Lakyn, 18 months ago she noticed blood in her stool and thought it was related to the birth and resulting hemorrhoids.
At the time she was working casually in retail, was not entitled to annual leave and did not believe it was worrying enough to see a doctor.
But in November 2023 she woke up feeling “really sick” and had severe stomach pain with rectal bleeding, so she visited the emergency room where she collapsed.
Doctors were unable to perform a colonoscopy due to the bowel preparation required, so Melissa was placed on an urgent waiting list.
“They told me I needed to be seen within 30 days and couldn’t wait more than two weeks…I ended up waiting three months because my urgent colonoscopy request got lost in the system,” she said.
“In January I still hadn’t heard anything and I was constantly checking my phone and answering every phone call.”
While the bleeding continued, it had subsided and “wasn’t as bad.” Meanwhile, her GP had carried out blood tests which showed she had low levels of iron, a known symptom of bowel cancer.
Melissa finally 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 curtain 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 hugging each other. “At the time we didn’t know how serious it was or if it had spread.”
Melissa was then faced with breaking the news to her two young children.
‘I sat down with both of them and explained to them in basic terms what was wrong. They knew I went to have a colonoscopy and the day after we found out I said “the doctors found a very big germ in my body that needs to come out,” she said.
‘My daughter scrunched up her face and said, “Ew mom!” It was a pretty happy conversation because they are still very young and don’t fully understand.
“You never thought you would have to tell your children. But we are a very open family and we always talk about feelings.’
But in November 2023 she woke up feeling ‘really sick’ and had intense stomach pain with rectal bleeding so she went to the emergency room where she collapsed.
‘The surgeon came, closed the curtain 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,” he recalled.
The first time Melissa came home from chemotherapy with a bottle attached to the port on her chest, her children had many questions.
She explained to them that it was “the medicine that will make her better, even though it seems a little scary” and they coped well.
Melissa started chemotherapy on April 18 and her 12 rounds will end at the end of September.
In the first few weeks, the dose of the medication was so strong that he developed neuropathy (cold, tender hands) and his throat closed, so he could not drink any fluids.
Her dose was reduced, but she still experienced common side effects, including vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, hot flashes, and missed period.
With Melissa receiving treatment every few weeks, her husband is now a stay-at-home dad responsible for dropping the kids off at school and doing the shopping.
The couple has been living off their savings while staying at Jak’s parents’ house and are grateful to have family nearby to help with the children.
Since starting treatment, Melissa has lost 15kg, suffered muscle loss and is losing her hair.
“Once I heard the word ‘cancer,’ I knew that hair loss comes with it,” she said, adding that she still wasn’t prepared for how much her life would change.
‘Emotionally and mentally I have good and bad days. There are times when I ask myself “Can I do this?” but I’m lucky to have a great support network around me.’
Melissa has also been referred to Peter Mac for genetic testing to determine if her children will need early testing and colonoscopies starting at age 16.
By sharing her story, she hopes young people will realize that bowel cancer is not the “old people’s disease” they are led to believe it is.
“Be in tune with your body, your health, your bathroom habits, check your breasts for lumps, do it all,” she said.
“Please talk to professionals and friends about health issues, never ignore things.”
If you would like to contribute to Melissa’s GoFundMe, Click here.