Krystal Maeyke was doing everything right. She was 37, active, and lived on a balanced diet.
There were no red flags—no history of cancer in her family, no warning signs that suggested something was seriously wrong.
So when she began experiencing sharp, stabbing stomach pains, she chalked it up to a possible food allergy.
But what Krystal didn’t know was that her body was trying to alert her to something far more serious—stage 4 metastatic bowel cancer that had already spread to multiple organs.
Ignoring the Pain That Kept Coming Back
For three months, Krystal tried to power through the increasing pain in her abdomen.
It started off as a mild discomfort but soon became unbearable, the kind of pain that brought her to her knees.
Still, she thought maybe it was gluten intolerance or irritable bowel syndrome.
After all, she was young and fit—what else could it be?
“I was having these stabbing pains and kept a heat pack on me some days,” she said.
“The tests came back negative for food intolerance, but the pain didn’t stop.”
A Medical Emergency in the Middle of the Desert
Living remotely in Yulara, a small desert town in Australia’s Northern Territory, meant medical care wasn’t easily accessible.
But on May 30, 2023, the pain reached a level she could no longer manage.
Krystal had to be airlifted 280 miles to the nearest hospital in Alice Springs.
Even in the air, the morphine did nothing to dull the pain.
It wasn’t until nurses gave her fentanyl—a drug 100 times stronger—that she felt any relief.
The Diagnosis That Changed Everything
At the hospital, doctors ran urgent tests.
That night, Krystal was woken by a doctor delivering a gut-wrenching diagnosis: “Krystal, I’ve got bad news… You have cancer.”
Her body was riddled with it. The cancer had started in her bowel and spread throughout her abdomen, liver, and ovaries.
“It’s everywhere,” the doctor said—words that would echo in her mind forever.
The Signs Were There All Along
Looking back, Krystal now sees that the signs had been there for months.
She’d felt unusually tired every day, but attributed it to being a busy mum.
She noticed irregular bowel movements, but assumed it was IBS.
She had constant night sweats, but blamed the summer heat—even with the air conditioning and fan blasting all night.
“I would wake up drenched in sweat, enough to change clothes and sheets.
Some nights it happened multiple times,” she recalled. “I just thought the air con wasn’t working properly.”
When a Lump Turned Out to Be a Tumour
At one point, Krystal felt a small lump in her abdomen.
Doctors initially thought it was just a swollen lymph node.
But that lump turned out to be a tumour.
She remembers feeling every stage of the cancer’s spread—from her bowels to her ovaries—as stabbing pains grew worse.
“I never imagined something like this could be happening inside me.
Never in a million years did I think I had cancer.”
A Mother’s Fear for Her Son
Now 39, Krystal shares her journey online with over 50,000 TikTok followers.
Her videos raise awareness of lesser-known cancer symptoms and highlight the reality of living with terminal illness.
But the hardest part of all? Thinking about her 12-year-old son, Maison, growing up without her.
In her GoFundMe page, she wrote: “The true weight of my struggle lies not in my own pain, but the potential loss for my son… a vulnerable child who may miss out on the love and presence of his mother.”
Cancer in the Young Is on the Rise
Krystal’s story reflects a troubling trend: bowel cancer is increasingly affecting young people.
In fact, a recent global study found that cases of bowel cancer are rising in 27 out of 50 countries—especially among those under 50.
In England alone, there’s been a 3.6% annual increase among younger adults.
And in the U.S., a steady 2% rise has been recorded.
While obesity is often linked to cancer, many of these patients—like Krystal—are fit and healthy, leading experts to suspect environmental triggers like microplastics and pollution.
The Symptoms Everyone Should Know
Bowel cancer symptoms can be subtle or mistaken for other conditions.
Some key signs include:
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Persistent abdominal pain
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Changes in bowel movements
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Unexplained fatigue or shortness of breath
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A lump in the abdomen
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Blood in stool or rectal bleeding
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Night sweats that are extreme or consistent
Sometimes, there are no symptoms until the disease has already spread.
That’s why listening to your body and seeking medical advice early could make all the difference.
A Story That Could Save Lives
Krystal continues to fight cancer while using her voice to educate others.
Her message is clear: “If something feels off, don’t wait.
Don’t assume it’s nothing. Please, go to your doctor.”
Her honesty and strength are helping others recognise symptoms early, and her courage in the face of unimaginable pain is a powerful reminder that cancer doesn’t always look how we expect it to—and it doesn’t care how fit, young, or careful you are.
