London mother, 44, dies of bowel cancer she mistook for perimenopause
ArchiveFirst published July 3, 2025. It may not reflect later developments.
Laura Dawson believed months of bloating and tiredness were signs of perimenopause. Emergency surgery revealed stage 3 bowel cancer, and the London mother of two spent her final weeks talking openly about dying.
Symptoms she put down to perimenopause
Dawson, 44, lived in London with her husband, Ben, 49, and their sons, Jacob, 17, and Theo, 15. The couple had met 24 years earlier, according to the Mirror.
For months she had bloating and fatigue, which she assumed were linked to perimenopause, People reported. Then pain left her unable to move, and she went to A&E. Doctors performed emergency surgery to remove a bowel obstruction. St Christopher’s Hospice, which later cared for her, said surgeons found a large tumor perforating her bowel.
A biopsy in March 2024 confirmed stage 3 bowel cancer, meaning it had spread to nearby lymph nodes. The hospice said the cancer carried a BRAF mutation, which is associated with faster growth.
A clear scan, then a return
Dawson had six months of chemotherapy, and a scan in August 2024 came back clear. In September, the cancer returned and had spread. “That was absolutely gut-wrenching,” Ben told the Mirror.
She decided to stop treatment in May 2025. St Christopher’s Hospice in Sydenham, south London, supported her at home for about two weeks before she moved into the hospice, where she spent nearly three weeks. She died there on Sunday, June 29, 2025. Ben described her death as peaceful and said “she died knowing she is loved.”
Dawson spoke highly of the surgical team at Princess Royal and her oncologist at Guy’s Hospital, and drew strength from her faith and her church, St Giles in Farnborough, Orpington, St Christopher’s said.
‘Dying has taught me so much’
In the weeks before her death, Dawson spoke with St Christopher’s about how her illness had changed her view of life. “Some of the happiest days of my life have been in the last few weeks,” she said.
She argued that people avoid discussing the end of life. “As a society, we shy away from the process of dying,” she said. “Deep down we all know we are going to die. Cancer has forced me to acknowledge it. Since then I’ve lived more fully than I’ve ever done and that has been a gift.”
“Dying has taught me so much more about living than anything else,” she added.
Dawson, who lost her own mother when she was 18 and had a background in photography, spent time preparing for her sons’ future, the hospice said, putting together scrapbooks, writing letters and buying them watches. Ben told the hospice that friends who wanted to help could keep it simple: “the best you can do is to come around with some food.”
Why it matters: know the signs of bowel cancer
Dawson’s story highlights how easily early bowel cancer symptoms can be mistaken for something else. Bloating and tiredness are common and often have other explanations, which is part of why they can be overlooked.
The UK’s National Health Service lists the main symptoms of bowel cancer as:
- changes in your bowel habits that are not usual for you, such as needing to go more or less often
- blood in your poo or bleeding from the bottom
- often feeling like you need to poo, even if you’ve just been
- tummy pain or a lump in your tummy
- bloating
- losing weight without trying
- feeling very tired or short of breath, which can be a sign of anemia
The NHS notes that “some of these symptoms are very common and can be caused by other conditions,” but adds: “If you have symptoms of bowel cancer, it’s important to get checked.” Finding it early can make it easier to treat. In the U.S., the Preventive Services Task Force recommends that adults at average risk begin colorectal cancer screening at age 45.
Sources
- Mirror – July 2, 2025
- People – July 2, 2025
- St Christopher’s Hospice – June 5, 2025
- NHS: Bowel cancer symptoms
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Colorectal cancer screening
