Radio host Kimba Barry is aiming to educate more young women about bowel cancer after beating the advanced disease.
Lifestyle radio host Kimba Barry was only 28 years old when she was diagnosed with bowel cancer, which is more widely known as colon cancer.
Unfortunately, the devastating news did not stop there as she continued to received blow after blow—but ultimately, and incredibly, Kimba beat the advanced disease after highly intense treatment and surgery.
For an entire year in 2019, the Australian native suffered from nausea and diarrhea. When she started struggling to keep food down and eventually lost her appetite completely, it finally prompted her to go to the emergency room. Initially put off by doctors, Kimba finally found out what was causing the “embarrassing” symptoms: Bowel cancer.
To make matters worse, doctors found what they called a secondary rare cancer in her abdomen tissue (peritoneal cancer), which now classified Kimba’s bowel cancer as stage 4.
Although the former beautician is very young to have received this highly difficult diagnosis, it’s important to note that her grandfather had battled the same disease … except in his 60s, and her mother has had cervical cancer. (It is crucial for you to know your family medical history and always relay it to your health practitioner.)
“Doctors believe I had the same gene as my mum’s cervical cancer but my body mutated it, and it only needs a slight mutation for it to develop into bowel cancer,” she told the FEMAIL health vertical of Daily Mail Australia.