A Bristol pensioner who felt in peak physical condition has revealed how routine NHS screening uncovered a life-threatening bowel tumour she never knew existed.
Kitty Odell, aged 64, had recently returned from trekking in Morocco and told friends she'd never felt healthier when the screening kit arrived at her Redland home.
The former psychiatric nurse completed the test without any concerns, having no symptoms whatsoever.
Yet the results would deliver devastating news - doctors discovered a massive tumour during a subsequent colonoscopy examination in 2022.
INSTAGRAM / BNSSG_ICB / Kitty Odell
|Ms Odell continues with yearly scans to monitor her health
Medical professionals warned that without the screening, she could have faced death within 18 months.
Ms Odell described receiving the screening kit as her third, having completed two previous tests without issue.
"I did what anyone else does and put it off and then did it and took it to the post office," she explained.
Several weeks passed before a substantial envelope arrived, instructing her to attend a colonoscopy appointment.
"I tried not to worry, but I was - then they told me they had found a giant tumour," she recalled.
The diagnosis struck like a "bombshell" for someone who considered herself "fit as a flea".
"I was completely freaked out," she admitted.
Following diagnosis, Ms Odell underwent surgery to remove a portion of her bowel and endured six months of chemotherapy treatment.
Her surgical recovery progressed smoothly, and she avoided needing a stoma bag, which she considered fortunate.
However, the chemotherapy proved challenging when she experienced severe reactions to the medication.
"I had a bad reaction to the medicine, which made my skin really sore and flaky," she revealed, describing the experience as "gruelling".
Today, Ms Odell remains cancer-free but continues with yearly scans to monitor her health and manage concerns about potential recurrence.
Ms Odell now champions the importance of completing the free NHS bowel screening offered to those aged 50 to 74.
GETTY
|The free NHS bowel screening is offered to those aged 50 to 74
"People squirm when you talk about it - we all poo, just get over it, just go and do your poo test," she stated firmly.
Her experience forms part of BBC Radio Bristol's "Wake Up Call" series, where presenter Joe Sims features stories from cancer survivors to motivate listeners to pursue health screenings.
Ms Odell's message remains clear: embarrassment should never prevent anyone from taking a simple test that could save their life.
"They said if I hadn't done the poo test, I could have died within 18 months," she stressed.