In October 2025, I found myself sitting across from a doctor, hearing the devastating news that I had stage 4 bowel cancer. I was just 34 years old.

As a young mum to a two and a half year old son, the diagnosis devastated us all. I was terrified and didn’t know what our future would look like as a family. 

It was even more shocking because I had been completely asymptomatic until a mere two months before my diagnosis, when the first signs began to appear.

Suddenly, my world was turned upside down, and every aspect of my life was overshadowed by the gravity of this illness.

I am not alone. Many young people under 50 like myself are increasingly being diagnosed with bowel cancer, often at an advanced stage due to the absence of early symptoms and screening.

While the current bowel screening age is set at 50, a recent study in The Lancet reported a trend of rising bowel cancer cases among individuals in their 30s and 40s, with England being the country with the fourth fastest increase in the world.

Each year, about 2,600 people under age 50 are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK. That’s roughly 6% of all bowel cancer cases.

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, and young people deserve the chance to detect this disease before it reaches critical stages. Research has demonstrated that earlier detection significantly improves survival rates, making screening at a younger age not just beneficial, but necessary.

Adjusting the screening age aligns with the recent findings from reputable medical institutions indicating a clear upward trend in early-onset cases. The resources and methodologies for qFIT screenings are well-developed; broadening access is simply a matter of policy adjustment.

Together, we can strive towards a future where early screenings are available, and where lives are not cut short by a preventable late diagnosis. Sign this so that the next 34-year-old gets the fighting chance I almost didn't have.