A 14-year-old girl has shared her horrific experience of receiving a cancer diagnosis two years after doctors dismissed her symptoms.
Liberty 'Libbie' Ashworth, now 18, first began to feel unwell when she was in the sixth grade, frequently feeling sick, having no appetite, and becoming 'really constipated'.
Libbie, who is based in Panora, Iowa, US, told TODAY how she and her parents went to the doctor when she reached freshman year as the symptoms had persisted and she had started getting blood in her stool.
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She also regularly had a fever and an upset stomach, and was even tested positive for COVID.
“I was actually told that it’s normal for teenage girls to have bouts of blood in their stool," she said.
The issues were also attributed to her being a dancer, which she originally thought may be causing her back pain.
“My mom was not very happy, and we moved to a different [doctor]," Libbie said.
Libbie's dad, Tim Ashworth, 52, said it was 'frustrating' and they were told they were bringing their daughter to the doctor too often.
Libbie was dismissed repeatedly - enough to the point they even suggested her issues might be all in her head - and was sent her to see a psychiatrist.
"It almost broke me because it really hurt having a medical professional that I’m supposed to trust with my life tell me it was in my head," she said.
However, in 2020, Libbie was rushed to hospital with sharp pains in her abdomen.
The trip came after her mom had demanded they perform an colonoscopy on their daughter and she was finally given a referral. It was never performed, however, as Libbie got intense cramping and was taken to the emergency room.
A CT scan was performed, and that's when they found something in the teen's stomach.
After further investigation in the form of an MRI, they found a 'tumor that was grapefruit-sized', and Libbie was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.
Symptoms of colorectal cancer include:
- Bloody stool
- Stomach cramping
- Abdominal pain that comes and goes
- Bowel changes
- Unexpected weight loss
In February 2021, it was discovered she also had a bowel obstruction which was causing a blockage. She had an ileostomy, which she says 'worked amazingly.'
According to Healthline, an ileostomy is 'a surgically made opening that connects your ileum to your abdominal wall'.
"Through the abdominal wall opening, or stoma, the lower intestine is stitched into place," the site explains. Those who get the surgery may be given a pouch to wear which externally collects waste from your bowels.
However, when Libbie was 17, scans revealed the cancer had returned.
Her mom did research and believed her daughter had dihydropyridine dehydrogenase deficiency (DPD), which causes chemotherapy drugs to not be digested by the body, and instead build up causing a toxic reaction.
The family were told it was 'too rare' for Libbie to have, but it was found she actually did.
“I had really bad hand and foot disease," the teen said. "My hair fell out after a day. My legs hurt. My feet hurt so bad I couldn’t walk. I had sores all the way down my mouth to my ileostomy.
"It was ultimately killing me because of how toxic it was."
Libbie has been given 'half the dose' of the chemo she was previously having, and her side effects have thankfully decreased. The family now hope new treatment will become available for her to have in the future.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.
Brooke Pollock