My Story
1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetime. And, in July 2021, I became a statistic when diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer. Chemotherapy and surgeries followed, as well as adjusting to life with a stoma. But, having been massively inspired by Dame Deborah James and Adele Roberts who have so bravely publicly shared their stories about battling with bowel cancer, I’ve been inspired to do the same. I’m particularly focused on raising awareness amongst men who are much more likely to ignore symptoms, and prevent seeking medical help early on. For me, the most important thing I can achieve is to raise awareness of bowel cancer, and to raise funds to assist in the discovery of new and innovative treatments. I’ll be sharing all fundraising plans on this page - and on my Facebook Page, so, please do keep updated and get involved where you can! Symptoms Do you know what the symptoms of bowel cancer are? More than 90% of people with bowel cancer experience one (or a combination) of the below: - A persistent change in bowel habit - Blood in the poo - without other symptoms of piles - Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating For more information, visit the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer/symptoms/, and if you’re unsure, ALWAYS speak to your GP. What can your kind donations provide? • £3 could buy 1 bag of dry ice to help our scientists keep delicate DNA at a safe temperature. Precious tissue samples can ‘go off’ just like your food at home so it’s important to store important samples at freezing temperatures especially when you only get one chance to extract vital information from a rare sample. • £5 could kit out one of our ground-breaking research labs out with some essential chemicals, which are the bread and butter of day-to-day experiments, helping to beat cancer, sooner • £10 could buy new bulb for our microscopes to study cells • £15 could cover the cost of running our cancer chat for 1 hours. Cancer Chat is our online, moderated discussion forum open to anyone to discuss any aspect of the disease, from symptoms and treatment to living with cancer. This can be a vital lifelife to patients and families who may simply need to speak to someone who understands what they're going through. • £25 could fund one of our cancer nurses who run our helpline for 1 Hours. Our expert team of 10 cancer nurses answer around 12,000 enquiries every year and are on hand to offer confidential support and guidance to people affected by cancer. • £50 could buy a scientific sieve, separating out big bits and small bits of DNA
