What does COVID-19 mean for someone affected by bowel cancer?

If you or someone you know has bowel cancer, your concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to extend beyond toilet paper shortages and low pasta supplies.

That’s especially true for bowel cancer patients who are undergoing or have recently completed chemotherapy or immunotherapy, because the likelihood of becoming seriously ill if infected with COVID-19 is much higher, due to a weakened immune system that is less able to fight infection.

Bowel Care Nurse Fiona has put together ten practical tips to protect yourself and those you love, and another five tips just for patients.

Plus helpful information about how COVID-19 spreads, the symptoms to look out for, and where you can turn if you need more information, medical assistance, or emotional support.

Combining fitness, fundraising and technology to help save lives

Wherever you are in the country (most likely in isolation at home!), Bowel Cancer Australia’s new Virtual Events combine fitness, fundraising and technology to build a connected and supported community, that’s overcoming the challenges of distance and isolation.

From running on the treadmill, to cycling at home on your trainer stand, push ups, chin ups, star jumps, space hopping and burpees. Set yourself a personal fitness challenge and ask your family and friends to donate in support of a great cause.

Even better, build a team, and all participate together remotely.

Plus you can now seamlessly integrate your online fundraising page with your personal fitness device, to track your time spent exercising, steps taken, kilometres travelled, burpees completed and so on. 

Create your Virtual Challenge online fundraising page as an individual or team now using Everyday Hero or Go Fundraise.

If you had planned to host a face-to-face fundraiser or participate in a large sporting event and are now unable to do so, virtual fundraising provides a great alternative. Ask us how you can digitise your fundraiser today.

Wake Up. Kick Bowel Cancer's Ass. Repeat.

Big thanks to everyone who helped us raise awareness of bowel cancer in women this March.

This month we celebrated all the kick ass Aussie women living with or beyond bowel cancer. Women who have been recently diagnosed, are just starting treatment, doing everything you can to kick bowel cancer's ass every day with stage 1, 2, 3 or 4, living with advanced disease, now beyond bowel cancer, and all the special women we remember in our hearts.

You are all kick ass in your own way, and we thank you for helping us to kick bowel cancer's butt - by telling your stories, making comments, liking, sharing and helping to raise awareness by spreading the word with family, friends, colleagues and in your local community.

Everyday Bowel Cancer Australia is working to kick bowel cancer's ass, and we appreciate your help.

Please do continue to help us save lives and improve the health and wellbeing of people living with bowel cancer - by spreading the word and using our kick ass resources.

Special thanks to all our 2020 Kick Ass Awareness Advocates: Anita J, Bianca H, Christina A, Corinne D, Danielle W, Elizabeth E, Emma G, Felicity M, Jeanne H, Keely M, Kym B, Leah W, Lisa A, Loreley S, Margaret M, Maureen W, Melody C, Neril D, Rhiana T, Sally R, Shantelle D, and Stephanie K.

$450K grant for cutting-edge research

Inaugural Lawrence Penn Chair of Bowel Cancer Research, Mark Molloy, believes molecular testing of pre-cancerous bowel polyps can reveal why some polyps remain harmless while others turn deadly.

Anyone can develop bowel polyps, but they are more common among people who are overweight, smoke, or have a personal or family history of bowel polyps or bowel cancer.

Even among very healthy people, bowel polyps are likely to develop as a part of the aging process, which is why bowel screening is so essential.

The burden of bowel cancer in Australia will decrease as researchers gain a clearer picture of polyp biology through molecular analysis.

Find out more about the Lawrence Penn Chair of Bowel Cancer Research here.