Jasmin Gobel, from St Leonards-on-sea, East Sussex, wants to raise awareness of colon cancer following the death of Mel Schilling, who was on Married At First Sight
A mum has warned of the common symptoms of colon cancer — after the death of Married At First Sight star Mel Schilling.
Jasmin Gobel had five cycles of chemotherapy and five weeks of daily radiotherapy following her diagnosis. The 50-year-old woman wants to raise awareness of colon cancer in the hope other people can spot their symptoms sooner and get checked out before they get to crisis point.
When she experienced constipation, a change in bowel movements, and stomach pains, Jasmin visited her GP and a subsequent CT scan and colonoscopy led to her diagnosis in the summer 2024.
It was announced yesterday Mel, one of the dating experts on MAFS in Australia and the UK, died after a battle with colon cancer. Her cancer, diagnosed in 2023, spread to her lungs and left side of her brain, it emerged.
READ MORE: MAFS UK’s Charlene Douglas pays emotional tribute to ‘true lover of love’ Mel SchillingREAD MORE: ‘Here’s my warning as I was diagnosed with the same cancer James Van Der Beek had’
Speaking in the wake of Mel’s death, mum-of-one Jasmin said: “It really is about catching the symptoms early. The only symptom I had was what felt like period pains, which I had for about nine months before I landed in hospital with a blockage.
“People don’t associate some of the symptoms with cancer – like constipation, a change in bowel movements, and stomach pains – but it’s really important to be aware. And if you feel like you have symptoms, don’t let it go, keep pushing for it to be investigated.”
Jasmin, of St Leonards-on-sea, East Sussex, initially put her stomach pain down to post-menopausal abdominal pain but when she started experiencing irregular bowel movements six months later she went to her doctor. Medics initially thought it was internal haemorrhoids and a UTI but a CT scan revealed her bowel was blocked.
Jasmin has since undergone surgery to have a stoma bag fitted, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as a more recent pelvic exenteration — removing the cervix, womb and ovaries, part of her vagina, her lymph nodes and other organs in the pelvis.
Grateful for the support of her partner Charlie Evatt, 48, and her 10-year-old daughter, Jasmin has encouraged other people to get any symptom, like stomach pain, checked by their GP.
“When you’re having symptoms, you’re already quite far down the road, and the symptoms can be so subtle or mimic other things – people don’t know what to look out for. The treatment is harsh and lifechanging. You never expect to be thrown into such a serious situation when you’re not even 50,” the mother continued.
Although the NHS says people aged 50 or over are most likely to get colon cancer, young people can also get it. It’s not always known what causes the cancer.
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