Wow! I revised the target and have already reached that one too. I know so many generous people who have donated to the cause (and some I don't even know) that I don't mind the fact that the itching has kicked in and I'm only five days into this challenge. Mind you twice now I've had to hold myself back from shaving as part of my daily routine. That would be embarrassing.

I’m joining the ‘real men’ growing beards for Decembeard to help beat bowel cancer. From 1st December I’m joining the manly ranks by giving up shaving for the month. It’s all to raise vital funds for the charity Beating Bowel Cancer and help them reach their goal of raising £250,000 so they can support more people affected by the disease.

In February 2014 my life was rocked when I was diagnosed with bowel cancer and underwent major surgery to remove the tumour and a section of my bowel.  Thankfully, there was no trace of the cancer having spread beyond my bowel and therefore I did not need to undergo chemotherapy, but for four months, I had an ileostomy, which was formed to remove waste from my intestine through my abdomen in order to allow the joint in my bowel to heal.

I have now undergone reversal surgery to reinstate the route from my mouth to my bottom and, although not plain sailing, that has given me the chance to return to something more like my normal life.  I had that chance because I was diagnosed early enough not to have the cancer spread.  However, I know what it felt like in those early days when the outlook had not been fully assessed and I thought that I had been given a death sentence.

During my cancer journey, I have relied heavily on the excellent information and advice given by Beating Bowel Cancer, the charity behind Decembeard.  Their guidance helped me to take in this disease with a positive frame of mind due to the fact that I had the knowledge to realise that this was a survivable, if difficult, journey.

Sadly, not all have the opportunity for the second chance at life that I have been given and therefore I am keen to ensure that as many people as possible can be aware of the symptoms of bowel cancer so that they too can seek medical assistance before it becomes too late to fix them.