A mother-of-two tragically lost her life just four weeks after being diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer in an accident and emergency department, following months of her symptoms being dismissed.
A Sister's Campaign for Awareness
Manisha Sandhu, from Birmingham, is sharing the story of her sister, Sharan, who died in January 2021. Sharan had been unwell for several months before her eventual diagnosis in December 2020, suffering from unexplained weight loss, severe fatigue, and changes in her bowel habits.
All of her General Practitioner appointments during this period were conducted virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Manisha states that Sharan's concerns were repeatedly missed, causing immense distress for her family.
"Sharan aired her concerns to her doctor on a number of occasions, she even told him that she feared she had bowel cancer," Manisha explained. "This was immediately dismissed as Sharan did not meet the 'usual' characteristics for the disease."
Instead, her doctor diagnosed irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and, citing Sharan's anxiety about cancer, prescribed her anti-depressants.
The Emergency Diagnosis
On December 18, 2020, Sharan's family convinced her to go to A&E. She was admitted to hospital for further tests, where she received the devastating news: she had stage 4 bowel cancer which had already spread to her liver and lungs.
Tragically, Sharan passed away on January 18, 2021. This was exactly four weeks to the day after her diagnosis and just two days before she was scheduled to meet with her oncologist to discuss treatment options.
Joining the Fight Against Late Diagnosis
Manisha has shared Sharan's experience as part of Bowel Cancer UK's patient impact report, titled 'Behind the emergency: patient stories of bowel cancer diagnosed in A&E'. The report was launched at the UK Parliament on January 15, 2026.
She is now supporting the charity's Ending Emergency Diagnosis campaign, which aims to stop the late diagnosis of bowel cancer in A&E departments across the country.
"As a family, we are keen to share Sharan's story as widely as possible to raise awareness on how common bowel cancer is and how easily it can go misdiagnosed," Manisha said. "We want Sharan's memory to live on, as her life was cut so short."
Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive of Bowel Cancer UK, commented: "Sharan’s experience shows how symptoms of bowel cancer can be missed until an emergency brings them into sharp focus. A&E is not the place to be told you have bowel cancer."
She highlighted the stark statistics: Around one in four bowel cancer patients in the UK are diagnosed in an emergency setting. For these individuals, the cancer is typically more advanced and harder to treat. Bowel cancer remains the UK's second biggest cancer killer, claiming a life every 30 minutes.
"With 609,000 new bowel cancer cases projected in England by 2040, this issue must be a government priority if we want to reduce cancer deaths," Edwards urged. The charity's campaign brings together patients, healthcare professionals, and policymakers to ensure more cancers are found early, and not in emergency departments.
