Mom, 39, dies following stage 4 bowel cancer: Here’s the symtom she ignored

Krystal Maeyke’s life changed forever in the spring of 2023. What began as minor stomach discomfort — the kind most people might dismiss — turned into a devastating diagnosis that would ultimately take her life.

The Australian mother shared her story publicly before she passed, determined that her experience might help others catch the warning signs she had missed.

“The words I will never forget…”

On May 30, 2023, Krystal was flown by air ambulance to Alice Springs Hospital after days of stabbing abdominal pain that brought her to her knees. She had assumed her symptoms were caused by food intolerance — perhaps gluten or dairy sensitivity — because she ate healthily and exercised regularly.

But the pain only intensified. Morphine didn’t help, and even fentanyl barely numbed it. Then came the words that would change everything.

“I underwent a series of tests,” she said. “That’s when I knew it was something serious. I was woken up later that night by a doctor whose words I will never forget… The weight of those words, accompanied by my question of ‘How do you know?’ and the doctor’s response, ‘It’s everywhere,’ shook me to my core.”

The cancer had spread throughout her body — her abdomen, liver, ovaries, and bowel.

The symptoms she didn’t recognize

Reflecting on her illness, Krystal realized that her body had been trying to warn her long before that night.

“I thought it wasn’t anything sinister,” she wrote. “That’s why it became advanced cancer and spread all through my abdomen, liver, ovaries, and starting from my bowel.”

She described sharp pains she had felt as the tumor grew:

“I felt each stabbing pain as it spread in my bowel with a tumour almost blocking it. I felt the lump appear and was told it may just be a lymph node — that was the tumour I was feeling. As it spread, I felt it reach my ovaries. Never in a million years would I think I would have this cruel disease in my body trying to kill me. Cancer hurts.”

In the months before her diagnosis, she also experienced:

Extreme fatigue she blamed on motherhood.
Irregular bowel movements she thought were IBS.
Night sweats, which she attributed to the Australian summer.

By the time she reached the hospital, it was stage 4 — metastatic cancer that had spread far beyond its origin.

A message that lives on

Before her death in early 2025, Krystal continued to share her story on TikTok, warning others not to ignore persistent or unexplained symptoms. She also created a GoFundMe to support her young son, Maison, and her family.

Her honesty struck a chord with thousands. “Never assume you’re too healthy, too young, or too busy to get checked,” she urged.

A growing global concern

Doctors say Krystal’s story reflects a troubling trend: colorectal (bowel) cancer is increasingly striking younger adults, even those who live active, healthy lifestyles.

“Early-onset colorectal cancer is a growing global phenomenon,” said Dr. Yin Cao of Washington University in St. Louis. “But, at the same time, it is still rare.”

According to Dr. Cao’s research, the rate of early-onset cases is now rising faster in women than in men in countries such as England, Scotland, and parts of Australia.

A separate study from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet revealed that nearly three times as many people under 50 are now diagnosed with colorectal cancer compared to the early 1990s.