Qld mum’s stomach removed due to rare genetic syndrome

A mum was forced to have her stomach removed due to a rare illness – and now she has hopes for the future.

A central Queensland mum was forced to have her stomach removed due to a rare illness, but she hopes advancements mean her children, who share the same gene, will be spared the procedure.

Katie Webb was one of 150-plus who attended the inaugural Microbial Healthcare Symposium in Brisbane on Thursday, to discuss the importance of microbial research.

It is an event Mackay mother-of-two, Ms Webb, said she was passionate about, attending the symposium as a patient advocate for Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Proximal Polyposis of the Stomach (GAPPS).

At just 24 Ms Webb was diagnosed with the syndrome after her aunty, who also had the genetic illness, pushed her to get tested.

Gastroenterologist associate professor Dan Worthley and GAPPS patient advocate Katie Webb at the inaugural Microbial Healthcare Symposium. Picture: Supplied

“It didn’t have a name at that point but I had gone for a scope myself, and I remember waking up after the endoscopy and the surgeon said my stomach looked like the moon. He said, there’s just growth from start to finish,” Ms Webb said.

“That is where my journey started, and I flew to Brisbane where I met (Gastroenterologist associate) professor Dan Worthley.

“He identified the issue as GAPPS and that it was genetic. There was a one in two chance of getting it, a flip of a coin.”

Two years later, it was decided that Ms Webb would have to have her stomach removed and she underwent a gastrectomy and has had ongoing treatment for the genetic syndrome.

The inherited disorder causes polyps to form in the lining of the upper section of the stomach. The polyps have potential to form into cancer if they aren’t removed.

Professor Worthley, one of the organisers of the inaugural symposium, worked with Ms Webb to get her life back to normal and to understand how to live with her syndrome.

Now 15 years on, Ms Webb said she and Professor Worthley remained friends and kept in touch regularly about upcoming research into GAPPS and the microbial world.

Ms Webb revealed her two children, Maya and Spencer, also tested positive for the gene, but she is prepared for what is to come.

“There have been so many developments in microbial research since I had my surgery. So much so gastrectomies may not be needed anymore to fix the syndrome,” Ms Webb said.

The inaugural Microbial Healthcare Symposium, which kicked off on Thursday morning, saw over 150 experts descend on Customs House to discuss the importance of microbial research. Picture: Supplied

Ms Webb and Professor Worthley reunited on Thursday at the symposium where they listened to speakers on an array of topics related to the microbial sector, including the development of designer bugs as drugs against cancer, the running of microbial trials in Queensland, and even how people can test their stool to create healthier lives – inside and out.

The two-day event was the brainchild of Professor Worthley along with University of California San Diego professor Jeff Hasty.

“Microbial science is rapidly evolving. It involves measuring, using and engineering

microbes to diagnose, prevent, and cure disease, from cancer to diabetes, to

infection and depression,” Professor Worthley said.

Among the sea of health experts at the inaugural Microbial Health Symposium was Pulitzer Prize winning author, oncologist and scientist Professor Siddhartha Mukherjee and American Gut Project and the Earth Microbiome Project co-founder Professor Rob Knight.