Emily Poulos will never forget the day her twin sister died.
Just three months after celebrating their final birthday together, Christina lost her fight to stage four bowel cancer at age 30.
‘The night prior to her passing, she woke up and was feeling so scared, saying she didn’t want to die. It absolutely shattered me that there was nothing we could do to save her,’ Emily, from NSW, told Daily Mail .
The next day, Emily held her dying sister’s hand as she ‘took her last breath’.
‘It was ultimately the worst day of my life,’ she recalled.
Christina was a 29-year-old ‘healthy’ hairdresser when she started complaining about ‘bad’ stomach pains, bloating, cramps and nausea.
But when she met with GPs, Emily noticed her sister’s symptoms were ‘always dismissed’ – and put down as ‘girly issues’.
Things took a devastating turn when Christina was given less than three months to live – after she was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer.
Emily Poulos (left) with her sister Christina on their final birthday together at their 30th party
Christina was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer – after complaining about stomach pains
Before the family’s world was turned upside down, Christina was leading a seemingly normal life as a hairdresser who was ‘loved by all’.
However, she knew something wasn’t right when she noticed the excruciating stomach pains and cramps she endured wouldn’t go away in 2018.
‘Being the protective twin, I said, “let’s go to the hospital as it could be your appendix, it’s safer to get it checked out”,’ Emily said.
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I was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer at 43
After getting a routine test, doctors couldn’t work out what was wrong with Christina as they checked for Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome.
‘At no stage did they think it would be cancer due to her age,’ Emily explained.
Christina was advised to return to the hospital if her condition got worse.
As the pain lingered, it took her several visits before her doctor finally referred her to a colonoscopy where she was put on a waiting list.
‘Christina fell ill and couldn’t stop vomiting, she ended up in hospital before she was booked in for a colonoscopy,’ Emily said.
‘When they finally got her in for her scopes, they rung our mum to come in because the news was not so good.’
The twin sisters were inseparable so the loss of Christina took a huge toll on Emily
She was told she needed to undergo an emergency surgery to remove a tumour they found in her bowel.
Before the procedure, Christina was told there was a chance she would end up with a colostomy bag around the stoma to collect waste in place of the colon.
‘She expressed her concern and before going under, she said, “Please don’t make me have a bag”,’ Emily recalled.
‘Unfortunately, the colostomy bag wasn’t the only bad news. Not only did she end up with the bag, the doctors told her they believed the tumour was cancerous.’
Tests later confirmed the family’s worst nightmare: Christina had stage four bowel cancer.
‘I still remember the feeling when she was in surgery, I just ‘knew’ it wasn’t going to be good news. I call it a twin vibe,’ Emily explained.
‘I couldn’t sleep, and when I got the phone call from mum I just knew. I felt numb and you instantly just go into combat mode. “Ok what’s next, what treatment, let’s fight”. And that’s what we did, together.’
Christina had a major HIPEC surgery, where doctors cut her open to surgically remove the affected organs before applying chemotherapy directly inside the abdomen to eliminate the remaining cancerous cells.
‘The surgery was a success and they “got it all”,’ Emily said.
‘Christina felt better after numerous weeks of recovery from the surgery and we begun to plan our 30th Birthday.’
When Christina was given three months to live, Emily moved into the hospital to be by her side
Christina was admitted to hospital shortly after her 30th birthday. She was told the cancer had spread to her lungs and liver
But in the week leading up to their birthday, she fell ill again, as she experienced pain and shortness of breath.
After celebrating their 30th in February 2019, Christina was admitted to hospital a month later where she discovered she had a collapsed lung.
‘Further testing showed the cancer was back and had spread to her lungs – back to more chemo, and the next battle,’ Emily said.
‘She ended up back in hospital on Anzac Day where we got the news that the cancer has spread to her liver.’
Emily, who works in real estate management, was able to take time off work to be by her sister’s side.
‘I basically moved into the hospital so I could be there throughout her journey. I would sleep in the chair, or the bed supplied and wouldn’t leave her side,’ she said.
‘We continued to fight over the next several weeks, but unfortunately she ran out of time and never got to leave the hospital.’
Emily said she has been struggling to cope with her twin sister’s sudden death as they were inseparable.
The family was left reeling when they were given the news it was likely Christina would not survive beyond three months.
‘My heart broke,’ Emily said.
‘Still thinking about that conversation and the final week with her gets me very upset, I still to this day can’t verbally really talk about it without crying.
‘When Christina worsened and got the “death rattle” as they call it, we had our family, close friends and her amazing bosses come up to the hospital to see her.’
Christina died in May 2019 – just a year after her symptoms first appeared.
Emily said she believed her sister’s death could have been prevented if the hospital had recognised and detected the symptoms early.
‘There’s a lot I wish the doctors did differently if I’m being honest,’ Emily said.
‘I feel like she was very dismissed at the hospital. If they looked into it more then would it of been different?
‘I’m now very big on seeking second opinions, if your doctor isn’t listening to you or dismissive, get another one. A simple blood test can tell you so much.’
Christina during one of her chemotherapy treatments after being diagnosed at 29
Christina had a major HIPEC surgery, where doctors cut her open to surgically remove the affected organs before applying chemotherapy directly inside the abdomen to eliminate the remaining cancerous cells
Emily said she has been struggling to cope with her twin sister’s sudden death as they were inseparable.
‘It was honestly a struggle every day,’ she said.
‘Christina and I were best friends – she was such a light. So it changed my everyday life, not having her here to talk to or do things with. All the future event that she’ll miss.’
It has been five years since her death – and there’s not a day that goes by that Emily doesn’t think about her late sister.
‘Losing a sibling or a friend is hard, but a twin is just incomparable,’ she explained.
‘I really struggle with the loss. I’ve even been suicidal due to it… But I just try and live my life the way she would want it, and keep her alive in everything we do.
‘We still celebrate our love for Christmas by hosting “carols for Christina” every year, at the cemetery. But I don’t think I’ll ever be ‘OK’ and that’s ok.
‘If I can help others through my grief, and my experiences then it’s worth it.’
The now-35-year-old said she’s required to get regular check ups to ensure she has ‘no cancerous growths occurring’.
The twin sisters holding hand just moments before Christina ‘took her final breath’
‘Losing a sibling or a friend is hard, but a twin is just incomparable,’ Emily explained
‘I’m very mindful of any pains or potential symptoms,’ she said.
‘Due to my previous check up results I actually have had to re-book an annual test, which is frightening, but I would rather get a colonoscopy done every year if it avoids me getting cancer.
‘A lot of people think of a colonoscopy as a taboo topic but it’s honestly not that bad and it’s a necessity to rule out bowel cancer or catch it early.’
Over the years, she has been campaigning to raise awareness around bowel cancer – and even launched her own project called F Cancer .
‘I run a cancer awareness company where we try and ignite cancer awareness conversations for all cancers – not just the ‘pink’ one,’ Emily said.
‘In my regular work hours, I work in real estate, managing the office – but, cancer awareness is my passion.’
According to Bowel Cancer , bowel cancer is ‘s second deadliest cancer.
The family visiting Christina’s grave in May – five years after her sudden death
It was estimated that more than 15,300 ns were diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2023 – with the average age being 69.
If detected early, the chance of successful treatment and long-term survival improves significantly.
Not all bowel cancers show symptoms.
But common signs include abdominal pain or bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, unexplained weight loss, tiredness, weakness or breathlessness.
‘Bowel cancer is such a treatable disease, if caught early. I think it needs to be highlighted more often to help gain momentum to make much needed changes to the stigma that bowel cancer is an old man’s disease,’ Emily said.
‘Please don’t be afraid to seek medical support, be it for potential symptoms big or small, hard to talk about or uncomfortable.
‘A simple test could save your life. If I can stop someone else experiencing my loss and Christina’s pain, I will keep telling her story.’
For confidential support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue at 1300 22 46 36