Bowel Cancer Awareness Month

Today is the first day of Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.

At the beginning of my blog, I wrote that I took Steve to the hospital within half an hour of his first symptom. I've since learned that this isn't completely true. I took him to the hospital when he had an explosion of blood going to the toilet after a weekend at the Isle of Wight Festival - the first symptom that I was aware of. I now know that he'd actually noticed small bits of blood going to the toilet in the months previous to his diagnosis, but it only ever happened after a night out, so he had always blamed alcohol and thought nothing more of it.

I have often written about the incredible support I have found through various charities and Twitter. It breaks my heart that since September, three of these lovely people have sadly passed away from this horrible disease.

It is so important to be firm and assertive with your doctor if you think something isn't right. In our case, we were lucky that Steve was admitted as an emergency and had the necessary medical attention immediately. I've heard of far too many people being dismissed by medical experts and their illnesses therefore becoming more advanced, and in some cases, incurable.

I'll keep it short for today but if you have come across this blog and it has made you think twice about a symptom you or someone you know has shrugged off, please don't ignore it. Even if it only happened once. It may be nothing, but it may be something. And if it's something, the sooner you know, the better.

That's it for now. Lots of love as always. Xx

@GinaParker21