THE family of a young Dunfermline mum who died from bowel cancer at just 33 are raising awareness of the disease.

Nicola Anderson died on May 7, 2019, leaving behind her two little girls, Maia, 10, and seven-year-old Louise, and her loving husband Stevie.

Nicola, who stayed in Kennedy Crescent, had suffered with ulcerative colitis since she was 10. She endured flare-ups frequently but she did not let the disease control her life.

Her strength of character and sense of humour got her through many problems over the years.

Nicola's mum, Carol Storey, said that it was in June 2017, that she started to experience intermittent pain in her abdomen and a change of bowel habits.

"For seven months, she attended various doctors who were of the opinion that this couldn’t possibly be bowel cancer as she was too young. How wrong they were," Carol recalled.

"In fact, one of the comments from a GP was: 'Sometimes Nicola, we just don’t know where the pain is coming from'. Twenty years with inflammatory bowel disease should have had alarm bells ringing but not one of them picked up on this.

"In December 2017, the tumour that had been causing the pain ruptured her bowel wall and she had to have an emergency operation to remove her colon.

"Unfortunately, the cancer had spread by then and she had to endure many rounds of chemotherapy but sadly, that didn’t work.

"We managed to secure a place on a clinical trial at The Beatson, in Glasgow, at the beginning of 2019, but she was too ill by then to cope with the treatment."

Added Carol: "She fought so hard to be here for Stevie and her girls but she passed away in ward 16, at the Queen Margaret Hospice.

"My husband Gordon and I and her brother, James, were so proud of her and her passing has left a massive gap in our hearts and lives.

"Nicola loved leopard print clothes so we asked that family and friends wear this on the day of her funeral. The sea of leopard print at Dunfermline Crematorium was a sight to behold. She would have been delighted with the scene!"

The family is raising funds for Cancer Research UK.

Added Carol: "As we had done the Race for Life event a few times together, I wanted to continue doing this with family and friends, now in her memory.

"It seemed obvious that that the team name should be Nic's Leopards. We did the event last year and signed up to do it again this year as Nic's Leopards 20.

"Unfortunately, the event was cancelled due to COVID restrictions but as we had already received donations before lockdown, the team decided to do the walk anyway. On Nicola’s birthday, August 29, we all gathered in Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy, and completed the event ourselves.

"Our donations total is currently at £2,705 but we are not finished yet.

"Our friend, James Fox, walked over the Forth Road Bridge in July last year, carrying a 50-kilo bag of coal on his shoulders. This year, he intends to do it again but both ways this time.

"He wanted to help raise more funds for Cancer Research UK in Nicola’s name. This took place on Saturday. If anyone wishes to donate, please go to fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org and search for Nic's Leopards 20.

And Carol warned: "Regardless of your age, if you have changes in bowel habits or unexplained pain in your abdomen, please don’t ignore it and push for the medical profession to investigate. Bowel cancer does NOT only affect the older generation."