A seemingly healthy mother from south-west London has revealed how what she thought was simple holiday bloating turned out to be a terminal cancer diagnosis.
A holiday symptom leads to a devastating diagnosis
Cecilia Capolupo, a 46-year-old finance worker from Clapham, visited her GP after returning from a family holiday in Devon feeling unusually bloated and experiencing stomach cramps. The mother-of-two, originally from Argentina, had enjoyed a week away with her husband Mark, 45, and their two young sons, indulging in classic holiday fare like Cornish pasties and fish and chips.
Initially, her doctor suggested it was likely an infection. However, after noticing a small amount of blood in her stool, Cecilia was referred for a routine colonoscopy at Lister Hospital on September 26, 2025.
On the day of the procedure, her world shattered. "I knew it was bad news when they called my husband in," Cecilia shared. Doctors discovered an eight-centimetre tumour. The subsequent diagnosis was stage-four bowel cancer that had spread to her abdominal wall, liver, and lungs.
Living with a terminal prognosis
The news was delivered with brutal clarity. "The same day, the consultant called me and said it was incurable," Cecilia recalled. "He said you have it everywhere." She was given a life expectancy of approximately two years.
For Cecilia, an active Pilates enthusiast who described herself as "always slim" and fit, the diagnosis was incomprehensible. "I thought 'how can it be my lungs? I do bike class, I go dancing with my friends until 2 o'clock in the morning'," she said. She had experienced none of the typical symptoms like persistent constipation or diarrhoea.
She now undergoes chemotherapy every two weeks, a treatment that leaves her feeling, in her words, "like a 90-year-old lady" with the "worst hangover of all time." Despite the prognosis, her resolve is fierce. "I'm not planning to die any time soon," she stated. "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."
A call for earlier cancer screening
Cecilia's case has highlighted a critical issue in UK health policy: the age for routine bowel cancer screening. Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK, yet in England, Scotland, and Wales, faecal immunochemical test (FIT) kits are only routinely posted to people aged 50 and above.
This contrasts with countries like Australia, which has implemented universal screening from age 45. Cecilia believes an earlier check could have changed her outcome dramatically. "I rushed when I had my first symptom and it was too late," she said. "If I had had the check at 45, I'd be in a much better situation."
Determined to live her life, Cecilia has started returning to her Pilates classes and plans to go back to work. Her story is a poignant reminder of the disease's unpredictability and the vital importance of diagnostic services.
