'I thought 24 was too young to have bowel cancer'

A woman who thought she was "too young" to get bowel cancer at the age of 24 has said early detection of the disease saved her life.

Pippa Slater was diagnosed with stage two colon cancer in April last year after experiencing pain in her stomach and "noticing a lump".

Sharing her story as part of an campaign to raise awareness, she said she felt "incredibly lucky" it was caught early and urged others look out for symptoms.

Bowel cancer is the second most common type of invasive cancer on the Isle of Man, with between 60 and 70 people a year receiving a diagnosis.

The disease can be found anywhere in the large bowel, which includes the colon and rectum and symptoms include fatigue, bloating, unexplained weight loss and blood in stools.

Pippa, who lives in Castletown, said while the "warning signs were there", it was still an "overwhelming shock" when her diagnosis was confirmed following a colonoscopy.

As part of her treatment, she underwent surgery and chemotherapy and is now moving forward with her life.

"I'm still under active surveillance to make sure the cancer is not coming back, but I'm back to work, back to sports back to my normal self," she said.

The now 25-year-old said she was "so thankful and very lucky" that she experienced the stomach pains that "forced" her to seek medical help.

She said: "Like many others I assumed I was too young, I was fit and well and it wouldn't happen to me."

"You're never too young to have bowel cancer, please speak to someone if you have symptoms."

Ruth Cowin's son Daniel died last year of bowel cancer at the age of 40.

She said he had always been fit and healthy and when he began to experience some "tummy trouble" he thought it would "go away".

"We'd been lucky enough to be a healthy family, we didn't really need doctors or hospitals, and anything in the past had always sorted itself out," Ruth said.

"Time went on, unfortunately, before Daniel went to a doctor and it had spread to his liver and his lungs".

She said her son, who was "kind and thoughtful" and had "loved every minute of life", had left behind "an amazing sister, an amazing wife and great friends".

"He's left a big hole in everybody's life that we can't fill," she said.

Encouraging people of all ages to "get checked out right away" if they had concerns about possible symptoms, she said: "It doesn't seem to be an older persons disease now."

Deputy director of Public Health Ross Keat said he hoped the personal stories shared by Pippa and Ruth would help younger people to be "more aware" of the symptoms of bowel cancer.

"There's some stigmatisation around around things like blood in your poo, people don't really want to talk about that, but we want to normalise that conversation," he said.

He also encouraged anyone eligible for the island's screening programme to "take up the offer".

People aged between 60 to 74 who are registered with a GP receive a bowel screening kit every two years.

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