Bella Bayliss, a 25-year-old from Gloucester, Gloucestershire, faced a heartbreaking journey after her serious health concerns were initially dismissed by doctors as typical “women’s problems.” In January 2019, Bella visited A&E at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital suffering from severe bloating, abdominal pain, breathlessness, and tingling in her hands and legs. Despite her troubling symptoms, she was sent home without a clear diagnosis.
Over the following months, Bella’s condition worsened. She struggled with persistent bloating and unexplained weight gain, even though she was eating very little. Her discomfort was so severe that she could barely eat her Christmas dinner in 2018. Determined to find answers, Bella returned to the hospital in November 2019. This time, an endoscopy revealed a 6cm tumour in her stomach.
Bella was diagnosed with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour (GIST), a rare form of cancer arising from a sarcoma in the digestive system. In February 2020, she underwent surgery to remove the tumour along with 70% of her stomach. For more than five years, Bella appeared to be cancer-free.
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However, devastating news came in October 2025 when routine scans uncovered two new tumours on her liver, indicating the cancer had recurred. Bella describes the shock and fear she and her family felt upon learning the disease had returned after half a decade.
She shared, “I was extremely anaemic and breathless, and felt something was seriously wrong. When I was first sent home, told it was ‘women’s problems,’ I knew it wasn’t. After five years, I thought I could move past this, but hearing the cancer came back was overwhelming and exhausting.”
The rarity of Bella’s cancer presents additional challenges. GIST does not respond to standard chemotherapy, and no effective medication currently exists. Surgery remains the only option. Following her original operation, Bella has faced ongoing eating difficulties and struggles with self-confidence due to a large surgical scar.
Despite these hardships, Bella has grown to view her scar as a symbol of strength: “I used to hide it, but now I’m proud of what I’ve been through.”
A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust expressed their condolences and acknowledged the difficulty of diagnosing such a rare condition. They emphasized that Bella’s experience has heightened awareness within the hospital about investigating similar symptoms thoroughly.
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour (GIST) is a rare cancer that develops in the digestive tract’s soft tissue, most commonly in the stomach. Due to its rarity and complex nature, early diagnosis is challenging but vital for treatment success.
Bella’s story highlights the critical need for greater understanding and vigilance when patients present with persistent, unexplained symptoms — especially those initially attributed to common gender-related conditions.