I am taking part in this event with my amazing wife to increase the awareness of bowel cancer and to highlight the
importance of early detection, especially in young people.

This is my story; I was diagnosed with high‐risk stage 3 bowel cancer at the age of 31 ‐ the Colorectal
surgeon suggested it may have been growing for as long as 7 years.

I had been told by different GPs at different times over multiple years that I had haemorrhoids or a
stomach infection or just a few to many drinks the night before I eventually had a GP push for me to
see a Gastroenterologist.

The initial diagnosis was Crohn's Disease, but a follow up Colonoscopy found that wasn't the case.

Never once did anyone suspect that it was bowel cancer ‐ I was apparently too young

The survival rate for Stage 3 colon cancer 5 years after diagnosis is 70%
For stage 4‐that drops to 10%

I was fortunate to be diagnosed when I was, another year longer and it could have been a very
different story.

I am now 33 years old and after 4 surgery's and 6 months of chemotherapy I have finished
treatment.