A grandmother who was advised to take laxatives for constipation was later diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Sarah Williams, 53, suffered from constipation throughout January 2025 and was consistently told by her GP to use laxatives.

On 17 February 2025, while looking after her grandchildren, her friend, Elizabeth Cattrall, noticed her eyes had turned yellow. After dialling 111, Sarah was instructed to visit Southend University Hospital, where she underwent blood tests and a CT scan.

The following day, she received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and subsequently had a Whipple procedure at Royal London Hospital to remove the tumour. Although the surgery initially seemed successful, she experienced intense pain when internal stitches ruptured, necessitating a second operation.

She commenced a course of 12 chemotherapy sessions but, after six, developed a 10cm liver abscess, which doctors drained. Further scans revealed the cancer had metastasised to her lungs, liver and pancreatic bed, and she is now preparing to resume chemotherapy.

Sarah, a learning support teacher from South Benfleet, shared: "When I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the nurse said I had three options. She said I could go home with no treatment and spend time with my family.", reports MyLondon.

"I have the operation, which I ended up doing, or they just treat my cancer with chemotherapy. We were all shocked, my husband and I burst into tears, and he phoned our children to tell them the news."

Sarah battled constipation throughout January 2025, yet was repeatedly advised by doctors to visit the pharmacy for laxatives. It wasn't until February 17, 2025, that Sarah recognised something was gravely wrong, after her friend, Elizabeth, spotted that her eyes were becoming yellow.

"I would call my GP telling them how I wasn't feeling right, but as soon as I told them I was constipated, they would tell me to go to the chemist and get some laxatives," Sarah explained. "When my daughter came to pick up my grandchildren, she noticed that my eyes had started to turn yellow and told me to ring 111."

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Following her 111 call, Sarah was instructed to head immediately to A&E at Southend University Hospital, where she had a blood test revealing "erratic readings from the editor" and a follow-up CT scan. The findings returned, and on February 18, 2025, Sarah received a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

Sarah recalled: "I knew something was wrong with me, but I never expected to be told you have cancer. Our whole family were devastated. I had to make sure I didn't go down any rabbit holes on Google and just focus on getting better."

Sarah had a Whipple procedure at Royal London Hospital to extract the tumour and 20 lymph nodes from the adjacent area. Following nine days under observation, Sarah was discharged from hospital, but that very evening, she awoke screaming in agony and was rushed by ambulance to Southend Hospital. "After I was blue-lit to the hospital, it was revealed that I had two blood clots in my lungs," Sarah said. "I was in sepsis, and they drained my stomach. For five days, all they could do was help with the pain, before transferring me back to Royal London Hospital."

Sarah remained at Royal London Hospital for four weeks before being discharged at the end of April 2025. She was subsequently referred to St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, where she commenced 12 rounds of chemotherapy on June 6, 2025.

Receiving treatment every fortnight, Sarah's progress was halted after six weeks when scans showed her white and red blood cell counts were insufficient to continue. The day before her birthday on November 29, 2025, excruciating pain forced Sarah back into hospital.

Sarah said: "I was in so much pain, I wasn't eating, I kept being sick. A CT scan revealed a 10cm abscess in my liver, which they drained."

Sarah remained hospitalised until December 22, 2025, receiving intravenous antibiotics for four weeks. In January 2026, a PET scan detected inflammation in her liver, but Sarah claims the NHS proposed delaying further investigation until April.

Alarmed, Sarah obtained a private second opinion, where CT scans and blood tests confirmed cancer had spread to her lungs, liver and pancreatic bed. Sarah is now privately funding her chemotherapy due to extensive NHS waiting lists for the treatment she requires, and she's desperate to begin immediately. "My sister, Nikki, launched a GoFundMe so we can pay for chemotherapy privately," Sarah revealed. "The amount of support and messages I have received is overwhelming.

"So many people, including former colleagues and old school friends, have contributed; it's overwhelming. We want to express our gratitude to everyone who has donated to help me."

If you'd like to contribute, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-donate-to-help-sarah-williams