Three cheers for Peter Gilberd. The Mollymook man’s passionate advocacy of bowel cancer should wake up those of us who choose not to get regular screening.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
His decision to invest in an inexpensive bowel screen kit from a local pharmacy probably saved his life.
And his very public and passionate message – that screening for bowel cancer is something we should all do – will probably save more lives.
Three cheers also to Rotary for its BowelCare initiative, which unfortunately comes to an end next Wednesday. BowelCare offers affordable annual bowel screening, which again is probably saving lives.
There are several signs that indicate possible bowel cancer. These include a recent, persistent change in bowel habit; a change in appearance of bowel movements; blood in the stool or rectal bleeding; frequent wind pain and cramps; a feeling that the bowel has not emptied completely; unexplained anaemia; rectal/anal pain or a lump in the rectum/anus; and abdominal pain or swelling.
In Mr Gilberd’s case, there were no symptoms. He had undergone scans previously and, at 67, thought it would be a good idea to get checked again. That was a great decision.
Bowel cancer is the second most common cancer affecting people in Australia. It is estimated that about 15,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year.
According to the Cancer Council about one in 21 men and one in 30 women will develop bowel cancer before the age of 75. It is most common in people over 50, but it can occur at any age.
If detected early enough, it is one of the least difficult cancers to treat. However, too many people do not get screened regularly and ignore symptoms. That’s why Peter Gilberd’s message should be heeded.
For that to happen, some honest family discussion is needed. Mr Gilberd’s story bears this out. It was a chat with his wife that prompted the couple to try out the bowel screening kit.
And by speaking with the Times about his story, Mr Gilberd is sparking a conversation in the wider community. That’s exactly what is needed, especially in our region where the proportion of people who fall into risk categories is higher.
So we encourage our readers, especially those over 50, to take on board the advice and organise to have their bowels screened.
