Joseph Kelly.
I've always had an odd relationship with my brother John. He is ten years older than me, which means that by the time I started primary school, John was off at boarding school. By the time I started high school, John was at university living in a share house with some mates. Then, by the time I finished school, John had moved to Australia's top end where he spent a good few years working for Aboriginal legal aid.
All this meant that, for me, my brother John was this shadowy figure who turned up for a week or two every Christmas. He was impossibly cool, always listening to bands I'd never heard of, and always wore the craziest clothes. He had a high-maintenance hairstyle that appeared to defy gravity. He was my flesh and blood, but also a complete stranger.
A few years ago the realities of raising kids made John and his partner rethink their nomadic life, so they decided to move home. By a happy set of coincidences, we ended up living only one short suburb away. My kids became instant and firm friends with John's kids and, despite the estrangement of our childhood, John and I became very close. Before long we had settled into a routine where our families had dinner together once a fortnight.
It was at one of these dinners almost a year ago that John told me he had bowel cancer. It was the sort of news you can never prepare yourself for. When I was 10 my father had died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack. It had taken my whole family our entire lives to deal with dad’s loss and the idea that I could now lose my brother was too much to think about. For John, with four young children to care for, the concept was crippling. Those initial weeks after his diagnosis were intolerable.
What followed was a roller coaster of highs and lows, of advancements and setbacks as John surrendered himself to treatment. It was a wake up call for me and my siblings as we suddenly had to wrestle with our mortality and realize that the choices we make about how we live matter – the stress we put ourselves under, the food we eat, the amount we choose to exercise (or not) all matters. Regularly going to the doctor for a check up matters. To us, our kids and our partners, our health matters.
Luckily for John, and those who love him, he detected his cancer early. This meant that it was treatable and, with close monitoring, John should remain healthy and cancer free. But the statistics on bowel cancer aren’t always so rosy:
- 1 in 12 Australian’s will be diagnosed with bowel cancer by age 85;
- Of the 274 new cases of bowel cancer diagnosed every week, 78 people die from the disease;
- Bowel cancer is the second largest cause of cancer deaths in Australia;
- It affects both men and women, young and old.
There is a positive, however, in all of these stats. If caught in time, 90% of bowel cancer cases can be treated successfully. Bowel Cancer Australia is running a campaign at the moment called “don’t sit on your symptoms” which aims to get people to, well, not sit on their symptoms. If your bowel movements have changed or become irregular, you find blood in your stool, have persistent sever abdominal pain or feel very run down and tired, then you should see your doctor. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got cancer, but it is a sign you should go and have a chat to your GP.
And while there is no cure for cancer and no fool-safe way of preventing it, there are some steps you can take that will lower your risk. Bowel Cancer Australia suggest you should enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods and eat plenty of vegetables, legumes (dried beans, peas or lentils), fruits & cereals (breads, rice, pasta & noodles) as well as lean meat, fish, poultry, milks, yoghurts and cheeses. You should also try to limit your intake of saturated fat, red meat, processed meat, salty foods and excessive alcohol.
These are little changes that could mean a great deal to you and your family. Cancer is not something to be scared of, but it is something you need to be aware of. Making a few healthy changes now can mean you get to spend a lot more time with the ones you love, and that will no doubt make them very, very happy.
For more information on bowel cancer, visit www.bowelcanceraustralia.org
To donate for cancer research and support, visit www.daffodilday.com.au or call 1300 65 65 85.
