A DEVASTATED mum has been told she has just months to live after being hit by a shock cancer diagnosis, despite having “no real symptoms other than a stomach ache”. 

Rebecca Atton, 41, has been diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer and now faces the thought of leaving her ten-year-old daughter Ava behind.

However, despite the uncertainty around Rebecca’s future, she now wants to raise awareness around bowel cancer, and is campaigning for the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT test) age to be lowered in a bid to save lives.

A FIT test is a check to see if you could have bowel cancer but is only available to everyone aged 60 to 74 according to the NHS.

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Rebecca Atton said: “It was unusual for me to have stomach ache.

“I thought it could be trapped wind or I’d eaten something dodgy, but when I went to the GP they sent me to hospital, where weeks later I was given the news.

“Cancer never crossed my mind. FIT tests are so important, they are inexpensive, and they detect traces of blood in your faeces that can’t be seen by eye.

“My family and friends have taken on since, and two have had polyps discovered which had to be removed as these have a high chance of turning into cancer if not removed.

“But you don’t get these unless you pay or are over 60, the age needs to be lower as are life-saving.”

Since her diagnosis in December, Rebecca has been having chemotherapy at Southend Hospital in a bid to prolong her life. 

The mother’s biggest fear surrounding her illness is how her daughter Ava is going to cope.

A GoFundMe has been set up to support Rebecca and her family as well as to raise awareness of Bowel Cancer.

She said: “Ava is worried about me obviously.

“I have also been bed bound for the last few days due to increased chronic pain which is not nice for her to see.

“I am sad that she won’t have a mum for most of her life, and I am very close to my own mother and rely on her still.

“It devastates me that she won’t have that in the future.

“She’s a real mummy’s girl and I dread to think how she’ll be once I am gone, it’ll destroy her.

“I’ve already organised counselling for her which she has already started in preparation for the inevitable.”

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