Susan White was in and out of Portlaoise hospital with appendicitis for several months throughout 2024. She underwent several tests and keyhole surgery when surgeons discovered her appendix was attached to her bowel.
The 34-year-old was referred to St James’s Hospital for specialist surgery but in February 2025, when her surgeon went to operate, they discovered a tumour at her pelvis. She was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer.
“It hadn’t been seen on anything, it was only when I was open on the table. I was diagnosed on Valentine’s Day, lying by myself in a hospital bed on a morphine drip,” she said.
“I remember looking behind me wondering if there was someone behind me he (the surgeon) was talking to, because I was high on morphine and I just didn’t think he could be talking to me.”
White says bowel…