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Our son Stuart, then aged only 29, was admitted to North Tyneside Hospital on the very day of the Great North Run in 2010 - which he had been intending to run. An operation three weeks later successfully removed two large tumours from his bowel - that was the good news. The devastating news was that the growths were cancerous and had already 'seeded' throughout the peritoneum - and that was inoperable. There had been no discernible symptoms until a few weeks before. Stuart was training for the run and appeared to be in good heath. A few minor abdominal pains were put down by doctors to bugs and possible Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It was only in the preceding two weeks when the pain increased that one doctor eventually diagnosed a blockage and Stuart was immediately admitted. Even then the possibility of cancer was not being considered - after all you don't get bowel cancer at 29 do you?

Since then Stuart has been undergoing chemotherapy - not in any hope of a cure but simply to delay the spread of the cancer for as long as possible. We are immensely proud of the way he has handled the situation. Having initially moved back home he took the brave decision to accept the offer of a research post at Imperial College and to move to London - indicative of his determination to 'get on with his life'.

We wish to support Bowel Cancer UK in the funding of research into the treatment and care of Bowel cancer patients and, particularly, in raising awareness that the disease does not only affect the middle-aged and elderly.

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