Dad, 36, Reveals the Common Mistake That Delayed His Serious Cancer Diagnosis — and the Symptom He Initially Ignored

A 36-year-old man from Tasmania, Australia, thought he had food poisoning — but it turned out to be cancer.

Mathew Duggan noticed changes in his bowel habits in February 2024, according to the Daily Mail. He said he began having diarrhea but “thought it would just go away.”

Duggan added that the symptom lasted “about a month,” and then he started feeling pain and eventually noticed blood in his stool. That’s when he finally called his doctor.

At first, the doctor reassured him that it was “nothing serious.”

Because of his age, Duggan said he was told it was probably hemorrhoids or polyps. “Cancer wasn’t on the radar,” he told the Daily Mail.

However, a colonoscopy revealed a 4-inch cancerous tumor in his bowel — news Duggan didn’t expect.

“At 36, you’re focused on work, family, your little girl. Cancer just doesn’t cross your mind,” he said.

Duggan had surgery to remove the tumor in May 2024. He then went through six months of chemotherapy, which he said was the hardest part because of the severe pain in his feet and legs caused by neuropathy.

“The neuropathy in my feet got so bad that there were times I wanted to cut both my legs off. It felt like someone stabbing the bottoms of my feet constantly — pins and needles, burning, just unbearable pain. I couldn’t walk from the bed to the fridge. Some days I couldn’t go to work. It was the worst pain of my life,” he recalled.

He and his wife decided not to tell their then-3-year-old daughter about his diagnosis.

“She didn’t come with me to the hospital or see me during chemo. We didn’t want to expose her to it,” he said.

He added that she now only knows the positive side — like the fundraising and support from the community. “She’s been my biggest little supporter without even knowing what I was going through,” Duggan said.

Duggan also chose to keep his diagnosis private from many others.

“I didn’t want my life to change. I didn’t want people coming up to me all the time, asking how I was, looking at me differently because I had cancer. I just wanted to get on with treatment quietly and try to keep things normal,” he explained.

He eventually found support in cancer groups, which helped him feel less alone.

“It was a relief to finally see I wasn’t the only one. That helped lift a weight off my shoulders,” he said.

As advice to others, Duggan said, “Your body tells you when something’s wrong. Don’t wait. Don’t let anyone dismiss it because of your age. If I had ignored it any longer, it could have been too late.”

In May, Duggan ran more than 300 miles over 12 days for a “Do It For Cancer” event to raise awareness.

“I’m wanting to create awareness around bowel cancer, especially in young people, as every health professional I’ve seen across my journey told me that I’m too young to have it,” he wrote.

He continued, “I want to make young people aware of the symptoms and to get checked as early as possible to stop young people dying from this disease.”

According to the Cancer Research Institute, rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) among young people are rising, with 20% of those diagnosed now under 55.

There has also been a steady 2% annual increase in cases among adults aged 20-39 since the mid-1990s. Experts believe this may be due to more sedentary lifestyles and higher consumption of processed foods and red meat.