Deb Weeks would love to sit down with her friend Frances Xuereb for a chat.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
However, bowel cancer had different ideas and Mrs Xuereb recently became one of the many people in Australian who died from this disease.
Mrs Weeks, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer four years ago and is now in remission, misses Frances daily.
It’s estimated 4114 people (2,136 males and 1,978 females) will die from bowel cancer in Australia this year, also 16, 682 new cases of the disease will be diagnosed in Australia in 2017.
Mrs Weeks now does everything in power to help reduce the bowel cancer rates – see video below.
She stages fundraisers and is a strong advocate for the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP).
NBCSP invites eligible people starting at age 50 and continuing to age 74 (without symptoms) to screen for bowel cancer using a free, simple test at home.
Australia has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. Around one in 23 Australians will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime.
The NBCSP aims to continue to reduce deaths from bowel cancer through early detection of the disease.
Got to www.bowelcanceraustralia.org for more information on the test and on bowel cancer in general.
Shocking statistics
- According to the Australian government's Department of Health, Australia has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world - one in 23 Aussies will develop bowel cancer in their lifetime, and, according to the Cancer Council, around 80 die from the disease every week.
- 1,313 people under the age of 50.
- Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in Australia.
- Up to 90% of bowel cancer cases can be treated successfully if found early. (Bowel Cancer Australia)
- The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program currently sends a free home screening test in the post to eligible people aged 50 to 74. The program aims to reduce deaths through early detection yet only 40 per cent nationwide are returning those samples to be tested, according to Pathology Awareness Australia.
- Screening every two years from age 50 could save your life.
Source: Bowel Cancer Australia
