BOWEL cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer, but the good news is that if it’s caught early, more than 90% of cases can be treated successfully.
During their lifetimes, a quarter of people at the Pirelli Stadium will be affected by the disease, either directly or through family and friends. More than 8 in 10 cases of bowel cancer occur in people aged 60 or over, but bowel cancer can affect people of all ages.
Martin Vickers, season ticket holder at the Pirelli Stadium, is committed to raising awareness of this disease and its symptoms, after successfully beating bowel cancer in 2010. He and his son Ben, also a season ticket holder, along with a team of helpers are today collecting around the stadium to raise vital funds and awareness and break down the stigma of talking about the disease.
Martin said: “I wanted to give something back to the charity after the tremendous support I received when I was first diagnosed with bowel cancer. The charity Beating Bowel Cancer was my first port of call when I was first diagnosed and their information was really valuable to me at such a difficult time.
"It’s a fact that awareness of bowel cancer remains stubbornly low and too many people are still leaving it too late to talk to their GP if they have the symptoms of bowel cancer. It is only through the impact of repeated awareness campaigns like ‘Be Clear On Cancer’ and ‘Don’t Die of Embarrassment’ that people will feel comfortable talking to their GP, in the same way that they talk about their breasts or prostate.’’
Symptoms of bowel cancer
Beating Bowel Cancer advises people to go to the GP if they have any of the following symptoms for three weeks or more:
- A change in bowel habit
- Bleeding from the bottom or blood in your bowel motions
- Pain in your abdomen
- Lump in your abdomen
- Unexplained weight loss
- Unexplained tiredness, dizziness or breathlessness
Beating Bowel Cancer is the support and campaigning charity for everyone affected by bowel cancer. The charity provides vital practical and emotional help – on the phone, digitally and face to face. They run the UK’s only nurse-led specialist helpline for bowel cancer, which patients call a ‘lifeline’. Beating Bowel Cancer campaign tirelessly to raise public awareness of bowel cancer and ensure Governments and health services provide the highest quality care and treatments.
To find out more about bowel cancer, visit www.beatingbowelcancer.org. The charity’s nurses are on hand to offer support and answer questions and concerns. The confidential helpline is open from 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Thursday and from 9am to 4pm on Friday: Tel. 08450 719301 (low call rate) or by email: nurse@beatingbowelcancer.org.
Anybody who would like to get involved locally to help with fundraising or raising awareness then contact Martin at martinv123@aol.com