The power of change is in all our hands and by sharing and signing our petition, you are making a massive difference by bring this important subject to the attention of The Health Secretary and the NHS screening program decisionmakers. No one should play god with our love ones lives. Bowel cancer screening should be available to younger age group not just the over 59’s. There are people out there unknowingly walking around with the symptoms of bowel cancer.  

According to figures obtained from Cancer research UK between 2016-2018 there were 42,886 cases of bowel cancer. From 2017-2019 there were 16,808 deaths, with a survival rate of 53%.

Up until my brothers diagnosis there was no known risk of hereditary bowel cancer in my family. However through genetic testing it was found my brother had one of the genes that put’s you at risk of bowel cancer at a young age. After my brother passed away my mum, dad, sister and I decided to be tested to see if we had Lynch syndrome gene. We all came back clear apart from my mum. She had lived the past 65 years of her life without knowing she was at risk.  Surely there is many more people out there living without not knowing they are at risk. With better screening of bowel cancer to more younger age group will act as another front to pick up cancer sooner and save more lives.

Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) accounts for 1-4% of colon cancers.[6] Around 9 in 10 males and 7 in 10 females with HNPCC develop bowel cancer by age 70 according to bowel cancer uk.  Let’s keep up the momentum by encouraging everyone to share and signing the petition. Let’s make change happen. Thank you so much for the supportive messages and sharing your own experiences. It means so much to us as a family.  (Photo of Rob's ashes in my mum's living room, surrounded by his beloved rocky figures and love of cars)