The Bottom Line

New Zealand Has One Of The Highest Bowel Cancer Rates In The World, And The Incidence Is Rising In Young People, Discovers Sheree Mutton

- Sheree Mutton

Bridget Bennie will never forget her daughter’s first birthday. A day reserved for celebrating an important milestone was turned on its head when she was told that she had stage three bowel cancer. The 34-year-old mother-of-two says the cancer diagnosis came as a shock despite the fact she’d been experiencing problems with her bowel.

“It was heartbreaking news. My world was rocked,” says Bridget. “The blood in my stool started after my daughter was born. I remember having a conversation with a friend when I came back from the toilet for the third time during our lunch. I said, ‘The bleeding only starts after my fifth or sixth poo of the day; I normally do about 10 a day.’ I still remember the look of horror on her face.”

After almost a year of feeling unwell and irregular bowel habits, Bridget, a primary school teacher, says she finally decided to seek the opinion of her GP. She was given a referral for a colonoscopy, but told that the bleeding was most likely haemorrhoids.

“I didn’t go for my colonoscopy straight away after getting the referral. I waited a few months,” recalls Bridget. “I had breastfed my son until his first birthday and I was determined to do that for my daughter too. I didn’t want the anaesthetic to affect my milk flow.”

Looking back, Bridget knows that the delay could have had devastating consequences. “I thought what I was experiencing was normal and I was too embarrassed to be completely honest about my toileting,” she recalls. “Imagine if I’d had the courage to do that even a few months prior.”