‘You only get one chance’: Toowoomba cancer survivor going into battle again

After beating stage three bowel cancer earlier this year, Larissa Rowbotham had just six months to celebrate the weight off her shoulders with doctors telling in September she had only three years to live. Read her story here.

Riding a quad bike with plumes of smoke going up behind her and her family is one of the carefree moments Larissa Rowbotham longs to have again.

But the races and adventures have had to wait, with Larissa having to navigate surgeries and treatments after being given just three years to live.

In February last year, the mother of two was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer, and after going through 12 rounds of chemotherapy, doctors gave her the good news that she had gone into remission in March.

Larissa Rowbotham has beaten bowel cancer but now faces liver cancer. Tuesday, October 25, 2022. Picture: Nev Madsen.

But the good news was short lived, as just six months later, doctors detected three tumours in Larissa’s liver, one the size of a golf ball.

“My daughter kept messaging me because I was taking longer than normal at the doctors, she kept asking me if everything was OK and I just said ‘no, no it’s not OK’,” Ms Rowbotham said.

The diagnosis has hit her husband of 18 years, Brett, and their two children Ella, 14 and Mitch, 15, hard, but Larrisa says she just wants to focus her energy on spending as much time as possible with them.

“To me life is precious, you only get one chance so if there’s anything you want to do just do it,” Ms Rowbotham said.

Larissa Rowbotham loves adventure and spending time with her family. Picture: Supplied

After hearing about Larissa’s new diagnosis, her high school friends began a GoFundMe to raise money for a Rowbotham family holiday.

“It’s really nice to have this massive village of people,” Ms Rowbotham said.

“Whenever this is all over, I just want to go to the beach with my family and spend quality time with them because we haven’t been in a long time.”

Larissa Rowbotham loves adventure and spending time with her family. Picture: Mitch Rowbotham

While the experience has been gruelling at times, the Toowoomba woman has come out with lessons learned.

For Larissa, being in touch with her body and learning to heal relationships are some of the wisdoms she practises and now imparts to her children.

Having brushed off blood in her stool in 2019, and not taking herself to the doctor until she experienced anaemia in 2021, Larissa is now urging others to heed the call of early warning signs.

Larissa Rowbotham has beaten bowel cancer but now faces liver cancer. Tuesday, October 25, 2022. Picture: Nev Madsen.

“I tell my kids all the time, if anything happens at all, please tell me because I’m your mum,” Ms Rowbotham said

“Even if it’s just the slightest thing, even if it is an embarrassing part of the body, it’s still really, really important to get it checked.”

Originally published as ‘You only get one chance’: Toowoomba cancer survivor going into battle again