The Bowel Movement
Donation protected
If you would like to join us in the Santa Dash in Bath on 9th December please follow the link.... Families welcome :)
NOT GIVING IN…
Ben is 33. A young, fit 33 year old, who likes to hit the gym, often twice a day, eats well, and enjoys a good time with friends and family. A caring family man, with a heart of gold, a strong career and an appetite for life.
This year however, things began to change. Slowly at first, with no obvious signs, nothing that you could pinpoint exactly. Working long hours, we're bound to feel tired, right? You begin to feel the stress and strain of everyday life, but it's okay not to be okay, right? At what point does it become more than just 'mental health' ? At what point does that stress and fatigue become chronic and begin to close down your world?...and at what point do doctors begin to investigate the underlying physical factors causing this problem??
The answer is …. sadly in Benj's case, all too late…Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, and if diagnosed early is highly treatable and curable but in August this year, Benj was diagnosed with stage four terminal Bowel Cancer.
Just like that at 33, his life, his world has completely changed in the blink of an eye. Now hospital appointments, medication, treatment plans and fear have barged their way in and cruelly taken the place of future hopes and dreams. How do you even begin to comprehend that? How do you stay positive and create a 'new normal' when everything is spiralling out of control? How do you begin to tell him just how much you love him and reassure him that everything will be okay?
Cancer Sucks. I mean it REALLY sucks!
We want to show Benj just how much he means to us by doing everything we possibly can to raise funds for his treatment, for Dorothy House and for his wife and step daughter's future. Our Bowel Movement campaign also aims to raise vital awareness of the key signs of bowel cancer. It's it still a taboo to talk about your poo, but a change in your bowel habits might be an early sign of something more sinister. The signs and symptoms are not always that obvious however, and like Benj, often get mistaken for things like fatigue, anaemia, mental health and IBS. This leads to delayed diagnosis and ultimately, costs lives.
We know that sadly there is no cure, but we want to be able to give Ben the best chance to receive the best possible treatments out there, and more importantly, allow him to have the BEST possible quality of life, for however long that may be. Ultimately, the treatment he receives shouldn’t be determined by whether there is a price tag attached to it. To us, his quality of life is priceless. But there are treatments which are not available on the NHS, ones which have been shown to prolong life and hold off this terrible disease for longer than conventional treatments alone.
We will be kick-starting this campaign with a charity run in Bath on 9th December https://www.dorothyhouse.org.uk/events/santa-and-elf-run-2018/… but we won't be stopping there. We will run, swim, cycle, hike, bake, organise events, gigs, charity balls, and quite literally go to the ends of the earth to raise funds and importantly awareness of this terrible disease. We will fight this with him every step of the way!
Stay tuned and we will post regular updates of all our efforts to fight his corner. A percentage of all proceeds will go to Dorothy House who have already provided such incredible support to Benj and his family.
Please help us smash our target by donating what you can, or join us in one of our events …. and let's all say a big F*UCK YOU to Cancer! X
NOT GIVING IN…
Ben is 33. A young, fit 33 year old, who likes to hit the gym, often twice a day, eats well, and enjoys a good time with friends and family. A caring family man, with a heart of gold, a strong career and an appetite for life.
This year however, things began to change. Slowly at first, with no obvious signs, nothing that you could pinpoint exactly. Working long hours, we're bound to feel tired, right? You begin to feel the stress and strain of everyday life, but it's okay not to be okay, right? At what point does it become more than just 'mental health' ? At what point does that stress and fatigue become chronic and begin to close down your world?...and at what point do doctors begin to investigate the underlying physical factors causing this problem??
The answer is …. sadly in Benj's case, all too late…Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, and if diagnosed early is highly treatable and curable but in August this year, Benj was diagnosed with stage four terminal Bowel Cancer.
Just like that at 33, his life, his world has completely changed in the blink of an eye. Now hospital appointments, medication, treatment plans and fear have barged their way in and cruelly taken the place of future hopes and dreams. How do you even begin to comprehend that? How do you stay positive and create a 'new normal' when everything is spiralling out of control? How do you begin to tell him just how much you love him and reassure him that everything will be okay?
Cancer Sucks. I mean it REALLY sucks!
We want to show Benj just how much he means to us by doing everything we possibly can to raise funds for his treatment, for Dorothy House and for his wife and step daughter's future. Our Bowel Movement campaign also aims to raise vital awareness of the key signs of bowel cancer. It's it still a taboo to talk about your poo, but a change in your bowel habits might be an early sign of something more sinister. The signs and symptoms are not always that obvious however, and like Benj, often get mistaken for things like fatigue, anaemia, mental health and IBS. This leads to delayed diagnosis and ultimately, costs lives.
We know that sadly there is no cure, but we want to be able to give Ben the best chance to receive the best possible treatments out there, and more importantly, allow him to have the BEST possible quality of life, for however long that may be. Ultimately, the treatment he receives shouldn’t be determined by whether there is a price tag attached to it. To us, his quality of life is priceless. But there are treatments which are not available on the NHS, ones which have been shown to prolong life and hold off this terrible disease for longer than conventional treatments alone.
We will be kick-starting this campaign with a charity run in Bath on 9th December https://www.dorothyhouse.org.uk/events/santa-and-elf-run-2018/… but we won't be stopping there. We will run, swim, cycle, hike, bake, organise events, gigs, charity balls, and quite literally go to the ends of the earth to raise funds and importantly awareness of this terrible disease. We will fight this with him every step of the way!
Stay tuned and we will post regular updates of all our efforts to fight his corner. A percentage of all proceeds will go to Dorothy House who have already provided such incredible support to Benj and his family.
Please help us smash our target by donating what you can, or join us in one of our events …. and let's all say a big F*UCK YOU to Cancer! X
Fundraising team (20)
Abigail Morris
Organizer
Raised £15,410 from 234 donations
Laura Millard
Beneficiary
Josephine Millard
Team member
Raised £18,025 from 80 donations
Steph Millard
Team member
Raised £2,053 from 10 donations
Leon Walker
Team member
Raised £1,237 from 8 donations
Glyn Rees
Team member
Raised £1,205 from 16 donations
