Former Bachelor contestant Sophie Edwards tells how she almost died while having bowel cancer surgery

Former Bachelor contestant Sophie Edwards has told of her near-death experience, almost dying while having life-saving cancer surgery.

Sophie on The Bachelor with Richie.

Sophie Edwards doesn’t remember anything about her near-death experience on the operating table.

The former Bachelor contestant has battled bowel cancer for the past year and after months of radiation and chemotherapy, was finally booked in for surgery to remove a rectal tumour last December.

But during the major operation, complications hit and Edwards’ heart stopped.

Former SA Bachelor contestant Sophie Edwards. Picture: Instagram

“They were hoping it would be straightforward surgery but four hours turned into eight hours and they lost me on the table. I basically died on the operating table,” she told The Sunday Mail.

“I don’t know the details, I know it’s something that happened but I don’t know if I’m ready emotionally to face that yet. Everyone knows they’re going to die but when your mortality is thrown in your face … it puts things into a different light.”

Doctors revived her and she spent her 35th birthday recovering in intensive care.

Bowel cancer survivor Sophie Edwards adopted her younger sister’s son Jaxon, now 8, in 2015. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Sophie as a contestant on The Bachelor. Picture: Supplied

But the operation was a success, and after further surgery in March to reverse an ileostomy – an opening in the abdomen that allows bowel movements to leave the body – she was eventually given the all-clear from cancer in May.

Fifteen months after the initial diagnosis, mother of one Edwards remains grateful to have survived the devastating disease which claims more than 5000 lives each year in Australia.

“I’m here today and I’m starting to feel more and more like myself,” said Edwards, who starred on Channel 10’s reality dating show in 2016.

“I’m adjusting to a new way of life. I’m just focusing on the day-to-day and getting other parts of my health right.”

But Edwards said she was still dealing with the “collateral damage” of a hellish year that took a massive toll on her mental and physical wellbeing.

Soon after being told that she had stage 3 rectal adenocarcinoma – a form of bowel cancer more prevalent in over-50s – Edwards began five weeks of intensive radiation and chemotherapy, followed by 16 rounds of intravenous chemotherapy.

Sophie with Jaxon. Picture: Instagram.

The treatment left her a shell of her former self, and she spent the best part of last year either in hospital or bedridden.

“It was an absolute nightmare that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone. I had every single side effect that you could imagine,” said Edwards, who became guardian of son, Jaxon, in 2015.

“There were days where I was like ‘I just can’t do this anymore. I would rather not be here’.

“The pain I was experiencing, the fact that I wasn’t able to live, I wasn’t able to be a mum – I felt like such a burden on my family and society.

“It was a really hard mental thing to go through, as well as physical.”

Sophie Edwards outside Flinders Private Hospital during her bowel cancer battle. Picture: Instagram

Edwards became addicted to painkillers, which she needed to get through the debilitating treatments, and doctors also diagnosed her with medical PTSD, anxiety and depression.

“I had to detox from the drugs, which added another layer of trauma and that was another nightmare that was just horrific,” she said.

“I became so reliant on the drugs, I couldn’t function without it.”

“I’m still dealing with my self-worth, and trying to comprehend everything that I’ve been through.”

For an outgoing socialite, gym junkie and active mother, the change in lifestyle has been a difficult adjustment.

“I’m angry sometimes. I can’t enjoy the same things anymore. I can’t enjoy food as much as I used to because my stomach is so sensitive now,” Edwards said.

“I was such a foodie and to have that taken away from me, it was such a big part of who I was.

“Cancer defined me in such a big way that I don’t remember my life pre-cancer, I don’t really remember who I was.

“So, I’m rediscovering who I am, and putting into focus what I want, which is my son, my family. They’re my No.1 priority.”

Given a second chance at life, Edwards is now determined to raise awareness for the disease, and make sure no one else has to go through what she did – if they don’t have to.

“If it can happen to me, without any of the family history or without a poor diet or obesity, it can happen to anyone,” she said.

“For a while, I just missed my symptoms, and I think in today’s society – everyone is so busy. But it’s something that needs to be taken seriously because it’s not normal. Your body is telling you something is wrong.”

A Bowel Cancer Australia advocate, Edwards visited Parliament House in Canberra in June to spread awareness about the disease, speaking to MPs and sharing her story.

She’s also one of the faces of an upcoming Terry White Chemmart bowel cancer awareness campaign, through the Jodi Lee Foundation, called View Your Poo.

“I feel a sense of responsibility to share because I don’t want anyone else to go through this,” she said.

“If I can encourage just one person to go to the doctor early and find out there’s nothing wrong with them, it’s better than ignoring the symptoms. Then something good can come out of this.”

To donate to a GoFundMe to help Edwards pay her medical bills, click here.

Originally published as Former Bachelor contestant Sophie Edwards tells how she almost died while having bowel cancer surgery