Just the price of a cuppa can help more people spot signs of bowel cancer early, says Bobby Moore’s widow Stephanie
The Sun teams up with widow of 1966 England hero to raise awareness of deadly disease and early warning signs
ENGLAND footie hero Bobby Moore, who led our boys to World Cup glory 50 years ago this summer, died of bowel cancer in 1993.
Stephanie, his widow, set up the Bobby Moore Fund to raise awareness of the disease.
And we have teamed up with the charity by launching our Football Shirt Thursday fund-raiser.
A delighted Stephanie said: “Back us, wear the shirt and please donate.
“Small donations of £2 – the price of a cup of coffee – will fund a lot of research.”
Bobby was just 51 when died, four years after being misdiagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome.
So far the Bobby Moore Fund has raised more than £22million for research into the disease – the UK’s second-biggest killer after lung cancer.
Each day 110 people, mainly men, are diagnosed with bowel cancer yet nine out of ten cases are treatable if caught early.
Stephanie says: “Had Bobby been diagnosed early and received surgery straight away, he probably would have lived.
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"When he was properly diagnosed, he survived for 20 months.”
Stephanie is determined to fund research to one day eradicate bowel cancer but in the meantime wants to make sure more people are correctly diagnosed.
She says: “The majority of people who get bowel cancer will be over 50. But young people get it, too.
“The two high-risk symptoms are bleeding from the bottom and a change in bowel habits.
“If you were coughing up blood you’d go to your doctor, so if you have rectal bleeding that goes on for more than three weeks it needs to be checked out.
Had Bobby been diagnosed early and received surgery straight away, he probably would have lived
Stephanie Moore
“Your doctor may refer you for investigation and at that early stage, it could well save your life.
“Undoubtedly, Football Shirt Thursday will help save lives.”
Jackie determined to give son happy times
GUESSING how many birds are tweeting outside the bedroom window is a daily ritual for Jackie Robinson and her young son.
It is one of the fun moments the supermarket worker, who has terminal bowel cancer, wants nine-year-old Connor to remember her by.
Jackie, 35, says: “The chemotherapy makes me feel terrible and won’t cure my cancer because it’s too advanced. But I try my hardest to be a normal mum.
“I force myself up and out of the house to take Connor to school and we try and make lovely memories. I want him to remember me for the good things, not just cancer-related things.”
She was diagnosed last year after being unable to pass a bowel motion for nine months.
Tests showed a tumour in her colon but a delay in diagnosis meant the cancer spread to her lungs.
Now, as The Sun joins forces with Cancer Research UK’s Bobby Moore Fund, to help raise money for bowel cancer research, Jackie wants you to be aware of the signs.
Around 41,100 cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed annually and more than 15,000 people die.
Yet, in a Sun survey of 1,000 adults, just two in ten said they would be able to spot the signs.
These include change in bowel habits, blood in stools or from the back passage, pain in the abdomen or rectum and weight loss.
Nearly two thirds were unaware boozing raises the risk and 60 per cent did not know a lack of fibre in the diet is linked.
Nearly a quarter of young adults realise an active lifestyle can help cut risk, compared with 16 per cent of the over-55s.
But another misconception is that it only strikes the elderly. Jackie says: “I’m not surprised people don’t know the signs — I didn’t until diagnosed. But if it is caught early, it can be fixed.”
She noticed something was wrong when she had to wee every ten minutes.
Eventually, she was incapable of having a bowel movement and could vomit for 12 hours at a time.
Jackie, of Gillingham, Dorset, says: “I had shooting pains up my bottom and stomach cramps. I was so bunged up I looked like I was pregnant. Doctors just kept prescribing laxatives and anti- depressants.
"But I didn’t feel depressed, just upset about my symptoms.
“I had numerous appointments. Each time they asked if I was pregnant, as my stomach was so big.
“This went on for months. When I was finally referred for a colonoscopy — where they put a camera up your bum — I found I had bowel cancer.
“Further tests then found the cancer had spread to my lungs.
“My husband Warren was in pieces. But I wasn’t going to give up easily and vowed to fight.”
Jackie had surgery to remove a chunk of her bowel before starting chemo.
And aware her time is short, she is now trying to have as many positive experiences as possible, including flying planes, making sausages at her local butcher’s and posing for a charity calendar.
She adds: “Things may have been different had I spotted the signs. But I don’t dwell on that. I have been unlucky to develop it so young but it is vital people know how they can cut their risk.
“Lifestyle factors like eating fruit and veg, and cutting down on red meat and alcohol, play a big role.”
My husband Warren was in pieces. But I wasn’t going to give up easily and vowed to fight
Jackie Robinson
The women we surveyed felt more embarrassed than men to speak to a GP.
But Jackie urges: “If you think something’s wrong, get it checked. And if you disagree with what the GP says, be persistent.”
'Take all warnings seriously and know the lifestyle risks'
ACCORDING to Sun doctor CAROL COOPER, there is no one symptom that signals bowel cancer – but there are possible warning signs and any one of these needs to be taken seriously:
- Blood in the stools (especially if dark red, or mixed in with the motion).
- A change in bowel habit lasting more than three weeks.
For many this is looser motions but constipation can also be a symptom.
- A feeling of incomplete bowel emptying, or feeling you have to go again when you’ve just been to the loo.
- Abdominal pain (which can be vague).
- A lump inside the belly.
- Weight loss.
- Anaemia.
It is important to know that feeling well, and not losing weight, do not rule out cancer.
While bowel cancer usually affects the over-fifties, almost anyone at any age can develop the disease.
Sometimes the disease runs in families, so if you have one or more close relatives with the condition, especially if it was diagnosed at a young age, you may be at higher risk of getting it yourself.
You’re also more likely to develop bowel cancer if . . .
- You carry the faulty version of the BRCA1 gene that’s linked with breast cancer.
- You have lots of benign polyps in your bowel.
- You have ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.
Having said that, for most people, bowel cancer is most strongly linked with lifestyle.
The good news is therefore that it can potentially be prevented. Overall, about one in ten cancers is due to poor diet.
Healthy eating means more fibre, less fat, less red meat and fewer processed foods.
The importance of fibre is no surprise because roughage speeds up transit through the bowel.
And fruit and veg contain valuable antioxidants that guard against cell damage.
Research also suggests that calcium (including dairy products) protects against bowel cancer but sugar may increase the risk.
Obesity, smoking and alcohol also seem to raise the odds.
Healthy living can’t guarantee you’ll never get cancer but it should reduce the chances.
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