Helena Bellmann

Swimming with my Dad to raise awareness of bowel cancer screening

Sunday 11th Aug In  autumn 2022 my then 60 year old Dad just started enjoying his retirement and was on a holiday hiking in the alps. On the phone he told me about some vague symptoms he was experiencing but nothing major. Coupled with the fact he had missed his first bowel screening tests I urged him to get seen by the doctor straight away. So in November 2022 he was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer with uncertainty whether it had spread elsewhere. This came to a complete shock to him as he previously felt fine, though a tumour of this size must have been growing for quite some time. After several difficult weeks where I could only see him on FaceTime and being 1.5kg lighter my dad was given the amazing news the cancer likely hasn’t spread and was able to be removed fully, in addition to some other pelvic structures. Since then, he has undergone genetic testing and was diagnosed with a hereditary cancer syndrome (Lynch) which luckily was isolated. He is able to live his life fully with the safety that he is receiving yearly screening for further cancers. With the money we are raising we want to help Bowel Cancer UK to increase awareness of the importance of cancer screening, as my dad is sadly the perfect example of how silent bowel cancer can be despite it growing to a very large size.  Share