Take Action To Live Longer

Barnsley men ‘take action to live longer’ by showing up for bowel cancer tests

Around a third of people who get sent a bowel cancer test kit fail to complete it when they could be turning down a lifesaving procedure that takes just minutes to do at home.

That’s the message from two Barnsley residents who were both diagnosed with bowel cancer that was detected early and treated successfully thanks to them ‘showing up’ and taking the test.

David and John talk candidly in a new video about their experiences and urge people not to discard the home test kit when it comes through the letterbox.

John said his first thought was to throw it in the bin but coincidentally he’d noticed some bleeding so decided to do the test. After being diagnosed and treated quickly he was back at work within six weeks and said he feels better now than he ever did before.

And David said he was now determined to enjoy life to the full and is convinced if he’d not taken the test, he’d be looking at a ‘life-ending diagnosis’. He returned his test promptly and was shocked and surprised to discover he had cancer as he didn’t have any symptoms. After an operation and ongoing treatment David is now feeling fit and well.

Both men told their stories to Age UK Barnsley as part of the Take Action Live Longer campaign (TALL), a partnership funded and supported by the SYB Cancer Alliance and Barnsley Council, which has been highlighting the importance and ease of getting screening locally for many different cancers.