Krystal Maeyke’s life changed forever in the spring of 2023. What began as minor stomach discomfort — the kind most people might dismiss — turned into a devastating diagnosis that would ultimately take her life.
The Australian mother shared her story publicly before she passed, determined that her experience might help others catch the warning signs she had missed.
“The words I will never forget…”
On May 30, 2023, Krystal was flown by air ambulance to Alice Springs Hospital after days of stabbing abdominal pain that brought her to her knees. She had assumed her symptoms were caused by food intolerance — perhaps gluten or dairy sensitivity — because she ate healthily and exercised regularly.
But the pain only intensified. Morphine didn’t help, and even fentanyl barely numbed it. Then came the words that would change everything.
“I underwent a series of tests,” she said. “That’s when I knew it was something serious. I was woken up later that night by a doctor whose words I will never forget… The weight of those words, accompanied by my question of ‘How do you know?’ and the doctor’s response, ‘It’s everywhere,’ shook me to my core.”