#PassItOn: My Bowel Cancer Awareness Month as an awareness volunteer

Neil has been a bowel cancer awareness talk volunteer since 2018. During that time, he has delivered more than 20 talks, passing on his personal experience of the disease and raising awareness of the symptoms to over 650 people. 

This Bowel Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) our awareness talks reached nearly 600 people. Neil talks about his volunteer experience and how he breaks the taboo around poo. 

I was diagnosed at Stage 2, had radical surgery, and now have an ileostomy (a stoma formed from the small bowel). But 20 years on, I’m living a great life. I’m active in my local mountain rescue team, run half marathons, and swim in the Atlantic most weeks. I’m one of the fortunate ones. 

Why I volunteer 

Raising awareness of bowel cancer symptoms is important, because more than nine in ten people survive bowel cancer when it’s diagnosed at the earliest stage. It’s heartbreaking when I hear of people putting off a visit to a GP or ignoring symptoms, either out of embarrassment or through not being symptom aware. 

And that’s why I volunteer, because I see that awareness does save lives. People have told me they have acted on symptoms, or encouraged friends and family to, because of what I’ve posted on social media, said on the radio or during a ‘what is bowel cancer’ talk. 

My Bowel Cancer Awareness Month experience

I’ve delivered several of the awareness talks hosted by Bowel Cancer UK this Bowel Cancer Awareness Month. My local NHS Trust, NHS Western Isles, is very proactive in promoting BCAM each year, so I ran two in-person sessions for them and the Western Isles Cancer Care Initiative. I also presented online awareness sessions to corporate businesses and the general public. They’ve gone very well, with great engagement from the attendees. I think wearing my poo costume always helps with that, as it seems to make people relax. 

Making a difference through our awareness talks

Our Bowel Cancer UK awareness talks have a huge impact on those who attend. Last year 97% of people said they were more likely to visit their GP if they had concerns about symptoms because of attending a talk. The same number said they were more likely to take part in bowel cancer screening when invited. And we often hear comments like, “I feel empowered to talk to my doctor about this now having felt very embarrassed up to now. Thank you for normalising this taboo subject.” 

For me the most impactful part of being an awareness volunteer is the questions I get asked after each session, and when people share their own stories. First-hand testimony is very powerful and also deeply moving. Often, it’s good news, like screening resulted in early diagnosis. Sometimes, it’s people saying they wished they had acted sooner and encouraging others not to delay seeking help, as they had ignored signs. 

I want to keep volunteering to raise awareness of bowel cancer symptoms, a healthy lifestyle and taking up screening – these are positive messages that need to be spread. You never know, it might just save a life.

• Find out more about our awareness work
• Learn the symptoms of bowel cancer
• Get involved by volunteering with us