A MOTHER-of-four has died after her bowel cancer went undiagnosed for six months.
Maria Stow, 46, died exactly a month after marrying her long-term partner Liam in a ceremony at their home in north Hull.
Mr Stow claims his late wife visited her family GP practice at least six times complaining of crippling pain in her lower back.
He said it took six months before she was sent for a hospital scan that showed she had aggressive cancer.
Mr Stow, 35, said: "I am fuming. If Maria had been diagnosed earlier she may still be with us.
"Maria must have visited the doctors' surgery six to eight times.
"She would tell them she could feel something inside her, but each time, they kept giving her laxatives and the painkiller Tramadol because they thought she just had bad constipation."
Bowel cancer is Britain's second-biggest cancer killer, claiming 16,000 lives a year.
Although it is still largely considered an older person's condition, the number of under-50s diagnosed with bowel cancer has been rising to about 2,100 a year.
A recent survey by the charity Bowel Cancer UK of patients under 50 found that 42 per cent of the women had visited their GP at least five times before being referred for tests.
Mrs Stow, who was mother to Leonie, 13, Connor, 15, Charlie, 17, and Daniel, 24, was finally referred to Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham by doctors at New Hall Surgery in Oakfield Court, off Cottingham Road, west Hull.
"She was getting really bad pain by this point," said Mr Stow.
"The doctor told her, 'I think we'd better send you for a scan.'
"Maria was told she would get the results within 14 days. The next day, which was Christmas Eve 2012, we had a phone call from the hospital asking us to go in straight away.
"We were told Maria had bowel cancer and it was very rare and aggressive.
"She was told she needed to begin chemotherapy that same day."
Mr Stow said his wife, a full-time mother, remained realistic about her chances of surviving the disease.
Bowel cancer kills about 15,700 people each year in the UK – about one person every 30 minutes.
"We made sure we enjoyed Christmas," said Mr Stow.
"Maria thought it would be the last one. We had all the family over and we tried to make the best of it, but it was very difficult for everyone."
In April this year, the couple, who were together for 16 years after meeting on a night out in Hull, were advised by doctors her condition was deteriorating fast and the family should have a final break.
"We spent a week at CentreParcs in Nottingham and had a great time," said Mr Stow. "We were basically told, 'Go now. This will be the last chance you get to go away as a family'."
Mr and Mrs Stow had discussed marriage before she became ill, but brought forward their plans.
A registrar married them on July 12 at their home, surrounded by dozens of their family and friends.
"Maria looked beautiful," said Mr Stow.
"She told me she wanted to be married before she died so I made sure she got the best wedding I could give her. It was the bee's knees.
"She had her white dress and a tiara over a wig. She had lost her hair from the treatment she was having."
She died a month later on August 12.
Mr Stow praised his wife's character.
He said: "Maria was just fantastic. She was a loving, caring mother and wife. We could not have wished for better.
"Nothing fazed her. She just didn't want anyone to worry about her."
The Mail approached New Hall Surgery, but it declined to comment, citing patient confidentiality.
