I thought I had a stomach bug – but it turned out to be cancer: Heartbreak of 41-year-old whose disease has spread through her body

A woman has told how she is battling cancer after initially mistaking her symptoms for stomach bug.

When Kasia Szczech, who lives in London, started experiencing frequent bouts of sickness after eating last September, she assumed a virus had taken hold.

However, the 41-year-old went to her GP when her symptoms didn’t improve.

Test results showed the service support administrator had bile duct cancer and a 10cm ‘grapefruit-sized’ tumour was growing inside her.

While initial treatment seemed successful, the cancer has returned and spread throughout her body.

Ms Szczech said: ‘I was just being sick, vomiting, so I thought it was a virus or that it was an intolerance to food.

‘I thought it was a stomach bug. I thought it was as simple as that.’

In October 2022, Ms Szczech visited her about her symptoms.

She asked the GP for a referral but then went private with Bupa and had blood tests, MRIs, ultrasounds and a biopsy.

After initial checks showed abnormal results, doctors told Ms Szczech to ‘prepare for the worst option’ and that the situation ‘was serious’. 

Results in November revealed she had bile duct cancer.

She said: ‘The doctor said that the cancer cells had been confirmed and that I would start treatment immediately. [They said] that I am young and have a strong body. 

‘After that, I barely heard what the doctor was saying because all I knew in my head was that it was cancer.’

Around 2,200 Brits and 8,000 Americans are diagnosed with the cancer every year.

The cancer forms in the bile ducts — small tubes that connect different organs, including the liver and gall bladder. 

Nausea and being sick, along with other symptoms affecting digestion — such as stomach pain, loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss — are signs.

The tumour can also cause the whites of the eyes and skin to turn yellow, itchy skin and urine that is darker than usual. 

Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are among the go-to treatments. 

Despite her ‘shocking’ diagnosis, Ms Szczech said she remained calm.

She started chemo in December in a bid to shrink the tumour.

Further tests two months later showed the mass had shrunk to less than half its size, with her family believing the ordeal was over.

She received chemo until May and in June started immunotherapy — a drug treatment that boosts the immune system to help it fight off cancer cells.

But in September 2023, scans revealed ‘severe’ progression of her cancer.

Doctors said the cancer had spread across her entire body.

And her original tumour is believed to have grown back to its former size, with more growths appearing across her body, mostly her lungs and bones.

It is unclear how much time she has left, according to her sister Gosia.

Ms Szczech’s ex-boyfriend, Justine Pearman, 50, has become her full-time carer, which her family are ‘eternally’ grateful for.

Gosia said: ‘He is a very good guy with a huge heart and I’m glad he’s there to help, as she can’t walk very well anymore, so needs to be carried a lot of the time.

‘Kasia, while staying strong, is rapidly losing her hair and her focus is getting worse, as she can no longer hold attention for more than five minutes.

‘She’s also started to have pins and needles in her hands and feet, as well as being sensitive to cold objects.’

Ms Szczech is now undergoing chemo every two weeks in the hopes to reduce the spread of her cancer.

However, her sister has set up a GoFundMe in the hopes of raising funds for proton therapy — a type of radiotherapy — which costs up to £100,000.

The treatment — which zaps cancer cells while protecting nearby healthy cells — is available on the NHS at clinics in Manchester and London.

The health service says it is only suitable for rare cancers or those close to delicate parts of the body — such as those that develop in the head or neck. 

Gosia said: ‘We want to believe that Kasia will stay with us as long as that is possible. That there is a cure and chance for her. 

‘We didn’t get any information from Kasia’s doctors that this therapy will help. We didn’t get any information from them to be honest. 

‘So we are looking for every possibility which might help.’

The fundraiser has raised around £2,000 of an initial £20,000 target.

Gosia said: ‘We are still waiting to hear about how she’s reacting to chemotherapy, but this will be life changing – and saving.

‘Right now, though, it’s all a waiting game.

‘I would do anything to get this horrible disease away from her and it’s really hard trying to express my emotions. I’m a mix of both angry and sad.

‘But she’s strong, and I know this won’t be the end for her, so I’m trying to do everything I can to push any negativity away.

‘I always thought we would grow old together – and that is still my plan.’