Beating bowel cancer together

How Cara spearheaded awareness partnership with M&S

Thursday 26 May 2022

We've just launched a partnership with Marks and Spencer to raise awareness of bowel cancer and its symptoms among the store's 30 million customers. This will see our symptoms information on the packs of M&S' entire toilet roll range from September. The idea came from M&S employee Cara Hoofe, a supporter of ours who was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in 2016 aged 32, who was inspired by Dame Deborah James to raise further awareness of the disease. Here, Cara talks about how the she made the partnership happen.

In 2016 I was one of the nearly 43,000 people that are diagnosed every year with bowel cancer.

I was 32, and I was told I had stage 4 bowel cancer.

What I didn't know then is that genetic testing would show I had a hereditary condition called Lynch syndrome and by the time I was 37, I would be diagnosed and undergo treatment for a second cancer. How was I supposed to keep being 'me' when my life was dictated by appointments and treatment? Well, Deborah James has shown the nation just that, how to keep being 'you' when you have cancer.

I first met Deborah back in 2017 and affectionately referred to her and a group of other young people as the 'Class of 2016'. Over the years, we've shared updates and stories, we've laughed together and each of us in our own way has tried to make a difference. Whether that is through raising awareness, supporting the bowel cancer community, or contributing to research. Unfortunately, as time has gone by, paths have diverged and whilst some people, including myself, have moved forward from their diagnosis, others have died. The past few weeks I have once again found myself watching as another young person I care about moves to hospice care.

When the news about Deborah surfaced, I felt helpless and frustrated. I couldn't change the situation and words just didn't seem enough. I wanted to do something to say 'thank you' for all the work Deborah has done and something that would have impact. What we must recognise through all the heartbreak is that Deborah has created a platform – she's elevated the profile of bowel cancer and with it the opportunity to do things that previously might not have been possible. With the disease front and foremost in the nation's minds, it's now up to us in the wider community to make the most of that and keep the drumbeat going.

Inspired by Deborah's ability to get things done, I submitted the idea of having the signs and symptoms on the M&S toilet roll packaging, and in our store and office toilets to the recently relaunched colleague suggestion scheme 'Straight to Stuart'. As I hit 'submit' it just didn't feel enough, and I thought what would Deborah do? She wouldn't wait, she would network and try to rally the right people to make it happen, or at the very least create a noise around it. So, I did just that.

Inspired by Deborah's ability to get things done, I submitted the idea of having the signs and symptoms on the M&S toilet roll packaging, and in our store and office toilets to the recently relaunched colleague suggestion scheme 'Straight to Stuart'. As I hit 'submit' it just didn't feel enough, and I thought what would Deborah do? She wouldn't wait, she would network and try to rally the right people to make it happen, or at the very least create a noise around it. So, I did just that. I emailed our Chairman, Archie Norman, swiftly followed by co-CEOs Stuart Machin and Katie Bickerstaff with the aim of getting the suggestion front and foremost in their minds. If Deborah can capture the hearts of a nation, surely, I can rally M&S to act. The response was almost immediate and by the next morning, things were in motion. I felt, and still do feel emotional about it. I'm elated that M&S are putting the idea into action so quickly and I hope that other retailers will follow suit.

My thanks go out to the teams at M&S and Bowel Cancer UK for making this happen because together we can make a difference. The more people we can reach, the more lives we can potentially save.

To Dame Deborah James: words are never enough, thank you for all that you have done.

Your support helps save lives. Donate now and help us ensure a future where nobody dies of bowel cancer.
Your support helps save lives. Donate now and help us ensure a future where nobody dies of bowel cancer.

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