Posted by Chinenye on Wed 19th Aug, 2026 - tori.ng
A television personality is turning her fathers heartbreaking battle with bowel cancer into a warning for others after she says his symptoms were repeatedly treated as something less serious.
(Anhar Miah And His Daughter. Photo by Sun Nigeria)
A television personality has shared her father's story after he d!£d from bowel cancer.
Her dad kept getting sent home from the doctor with laxatives, even though he had serious symptoms that turned out to be cancer.
Zahida Allen, who appeared on reality television shows in 2017, lost her father, Anhar Miah, in February 2023. He was 62 years old.
For years, her father had experienced stomach problems that doctors blamed on his diet. But in 2021, things got much worse.
He became very tired, lost weight quickly, went weeks without being able to have a normal bowel movement, and noticed blood when he went to the toilet.
He visited his doctor several times, but each time he was simply given laxatives and sent home. Nobody suggested tests or further investigation.
It wasn't until February 2022, after a hospital visit, scans and a biopsy, that he learned he had advanced bowel cancer that had spread to his stomach, kidney and abdomen.
By then, there was nothing doctors could do to cure it.
Zahida, now 32, believes that if her father's symptoms had been taken seriously and he'd been tested earlier, doctors might have been able to help him.
She said her father was in terrible pain throughout his illness.
Bowel cancer is a leading cause of d£ath worldwide and the second most common cancer d£ath in the UK. Over 46,000 people are diagnosed with it every year in Britain.
The disease can cause blood in stool, stomach lumps, changes in bowel habits, bloating and unexplained weight loss.
However, it's often mistaken for less serious conditions like haemorrhoids.
In December 2021, Zahida noticed her father looked extremely unwell when she visited.
His eyes looked different, he was very thin and his bones were showing.
One day he vomited blood, so she called an ambulance. But even in hospital, he was given more laxatives and sent home.
Zahida refused to leave and insisted on a second opinion.
Another doctor ordered an X-ray and CT scan, which showed his bowel was twisted and blocked. He needed emergency surgery that night.
After surgery, a sample was taken for testing.
Two months later, her father received the diagnosis: stage four, terminal, incurable bowel cancer.
He started intense chemotherapy, visiting hospital every two weeks for nine-hour treatment sessions, then continuing at home for another two days.
He suffered serious infections, sepsis that nearly k!ll£d him, mouth ulcers and complete blockages.
Often, he went to hospital without ever having a full two weeks at home between visits.
After starting chemotherapy in May 2022, her father d!£d in February 2023, shortly after his 62nd birthday.
Since his d£ath, Zahida has worked to raise awareness about bowel cancer symptoms and the importance of early testing.
She has launched a campaign encouraging people to learn more about their bowel health and get tested.
Bowel cancer rates have risen sharply in younger people in recent years.
Since the 1990s, cases in people aged 25 to 49 have increased by 72 per cent, though most cases still occur in people over 50. About 2,600 younger people are diagnosed annually.
The NHS sends free home testing kits to people aged 50 to 74 every two years to check for blood in stool.
The testing age was lowered to 50 following campaigns by public figures who d!£d from the disease.
Zahida hopes her father's story will encourage people to pay attention to their symptoms and get tested.
She said she wishes she had known more about bowel health earlier, because she believes that knowledge could have helped her father.