'Doctors said I was too young before my world imploded'

'Doctors said I was too young before my world imploded'Natalie Hopper, 45, was diagnosed after doctors dismissed her symptomsCommentsNewsSteven Smith Content Editor08:04, 08 Apr 2026View 4 ImagesNatalie in hospital after her surgery(Image: PA Real Life)A mum-of-two said she was dismissed as being 'too young' before being given a diagnosis that 'imploded' her world. But she has insisted that "stage four cancer isn't a death sentence" after the detection of a 20cm tumour in her bowel in her early 40s completely transformed her outlook on life, inspiring her to draw up a bucket list and take on running a pub.‌Natalie Hopper, now aged 45, noticed a change in the way people spoke and interacted with her following her diagnosis of stage four bowel cancer in March 2023, aged just 42.‌"People would come up to my friends and family in the street and say I'm really sorry about your mum, and I remember thinking at the time: 'Hang on, I'm still alive. I'm fighting to live, but you're already talking about me like I'm dead'," Natalie said. "Stage four cancer isn't a death sentence and I think that there needs to be a more positive shift or change in how people approach it."‌When she first raised concerns about her symptoms and the possibility of bowel cancer at the end of 2022, Natalie, from North Devon, said numerous doctors brushed aside her worries due to her age."I was going through a separation at the time and it took quite a long time to get diagnosed because when I went to my doctor and said I had bowel changes they just put it down to stress," recollected Natalie. "I started to get a little bit worried when it became quite painful and I couldn't sleep on my left side."View 4 ImagesNatalie said her concerns were dismissed by many doctors(Image: PA Real Life)‌At one point, doctors suspected it could be diverticulitis – a common digestive conditi...