May is Rotary BowelScan Month

In Woolgoolga this year, the Woolgoolga Rotary Club will run their annual stall at Woolgoolga Central from Saturday 3^rd May through till Sunday 11^th May, and will be selling Test Kits for Bowel Cancer.  The national recommendation is that everyone over the age of 40 should check themselves for Bowel Cancer – every year. During the early stages of colorectal cancer development, when the tumour is either a small benign polyp or small cancer, there are usually no symptoms. Yet this early stage of the disease is where the best outcomes are achieved in population screening by programs such as Rotary Bowelscan.

The coordinator for Woolgoolga Rotary’s campaign, David Edwards, said, “People come back to us each year and report that a Rotary BowelScan Kit saved the life of a loved one. The kits help to identify people with potential problems by the early identification of virtually invisible bleeding and their doctors are able to act promptly, and save lives.”

Bowel cancer is the most common internal cancer affecting Australians, and by the age of 75, one in 20 men and one in 24 women will develop Bowel Cancer. Statistics show that while a road death occurs every 5 hours, and someone dies from Breast Cancer every 4 hours, there is a death from Bowel Cancer every 2 hours. “The incidence of bowel cancer has not fallen over the past 20 years, and there are over 5,000 deaths from colorectal cancer every year”, Mr Edwards said, “and 90% of Bowel Cancers can be cured if detected early enough. Waiting for symptoms to appear is simply waiting too long.”

The Rotary BowelScan Kits will be available from the Woolgoolga Central Arcade (from 3-11 May) and returned to the Woolgoolga Pharmacy who have volunteered to act as the collection point.

Enquiries:                 David Edwards

Contact Details:      02 6654 2387

0428 7668115

dbe2456@gmail.com