World Cancer Day took place on 4 February 2017 – Bowel Cancer UK worked with 9 other charities to unite everyone in a simple but powerful life changing act – wearing a Unity Band® . If you didn’t get a chance to get a band in time for World Cancer Day, it’s not too late. Order one now and wear it during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month in April.
Together we can stop bowel cancer
Nearly everyone diagnosed at the earliest stage will survive bowel cancer; it’s treatable and curable especially if diagnosed early. But only 15% of cases are diagnosed at stage 1.
We’re determined to change this and stop bowel cancer being the second biggest cancer killer in the UK.
We’re the UK’s leading bowel cancer research charity and our work helps ensure more people are diagnosed early and lives are saved. We:
- Support and enable research
- Educate patients, public and professionals about bowel cancer
- Campaign for early diagnosis and best treatment and care for all those affected
68-year-old John had no idea a simple NHS health test would save his life: “I had absolutely no symptoms whatsoever – as far as I was concerned I was perfectly healthy. If it hadn’t been for the bowel cancer screening test I wouldn’t be sitting here today.” “It all happened so fast and they had to remove my colon which meant I’ve had to have a permanent stoma – which isn’t really a problem. Fortunately for me it hadn’t actually got out of the bowel. But it was that close! My life was hanging by a thread and I didn’t know if I was coming out of that operation. That had such a big impact on me and I appreciate just how lucky I was.”
After completing the initial test and returning it, a second one was sent out two weeks later to help confirm findings. John then got a letter from the local hospital. He was booked in for a colonoscopy and a week later he met the consultant. The test came back clear but a nagging doubt in the doctor’s mind led to a second colonoscopy carried out by the consultant himself. It was bad news, there were signs of cancer and he was referred for an operation, which saw his entire bowel removed.
Get your Unity Band® here http://bit.ly/2lpOGjt