Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, can affect any part of the colon or rectum; it may also be referred to as colon cancer or rectal cancer, depending on where the cancer is located.
Bowel cancer screening is for people who do not already have bowel cancer, symptoms of bowel cancer, or any reason to have a high risk of bowel cancer.
Patient-centred care is healthcare that is respectful of, and responsive to, the preferences, needs and values of patients and consumers.
Bowel Cancer Australia provides essential support services uniquely designed for bowel cancer patients via our confidential Helpline with specialist telehealth support, as well as a national Peer-to-Peer Support Network and Buddy Program.
Bowel Cancer Australia funds research that has the potential to improve survival and/or help build a path toward a cure and integrates published research into our awareness, advocacy, and support strategies.
Bowel Cancer Australia relies upon donations and the support of hard working and enthusiastic fundraisers across the country to continue our life saving work. We raise funds to continue our life-saving work and inspire others to do the same, so everyone affected by bowel cancer can live their best life.
Each year people living with or beyond early-onset bowel cancer from across the country descend on Australian Parliament House for Bowel Cancer Australia’s pre-eminent advocacy event – Call on Canberra.
Advocates attend meetings with MPs and Senators, sharing their lived experience and raising awareness of the critical policy priorities needed to improve health outcomes.
We have already made significant inroads as we know that a shared voice and purpose is a powerful tool.
Through Call on Canberra: Action on Early-onset Bowel Cancer our collective voices and lived experiences have lead the way to engage decision makers, and ultimately secure commitments to act on behalf of the over 1,700 Australians diagnosed with early-onset bowel cancer each year.
The energy is palpable, and the direct impact of our advocacy efforts speak for themselves.
Collectively we continue to advocate for greater awareness (especially among GPs), rapid referrals, implementing a lower screening start age, improved pathways, as well as further research to help build a path towards a cure.
Bowel Cancer Australia continues to put early-onset bowel cancer on the national agenda and is calling for action to improve awareness, diagnosis, treatment and care pathways for younger people.
Each year Bowel Cancer Australia invites 50 passionate Advocates to attend Call On Canberra to share their empowering story and help amplify the charity’s policy priorities with their local MPs and Senators.
Call on Canberra connects young people living with or beyond early-onset bowel cancer, building communities through shared experiences and creating a powerful voice for change.
We asked past attendees to share their thoughts in answer to the question – ‘Why was attending Call On Canberra and advocating for policy change important to you?’ Here is what they said…
“I cannot change my story, but I hope that by sharing it with people who have the power to enact change, it may mean others, including my children, don’t have to go through what I’ve been through.” ~ Nina, D (SA)
“My story was actually a positive one. I was lucky enough that my doctors thought about it and referred me for a colonoscopy. So, I feel like sharing my side shows that early detection and diagnosis actually does make a difference.” ~ James, B (NSW)
“Participating in advocacy provided a vital outlet, allowing me to reshape my own adversity into lasting, positive change for the bowel cancer community. Through this work, I also found a deep sense of peer support, connecting with others who shared my experience and building lifelong friendships.” ~ Sarah, C (QLD)
“Attending Call On Canberra is so important to me because I wanted to turn my experience with bowel cancer into meaningful change for others. Being diagnosed at just 36 and being told I was too young to have bowel cancer, showed me how much needs to change around awareness and early diagnosis in younger people. Standing alongside other young people affected by bowel cancer and sharing our stories with politicians gives us a powerful opportunity to be heard. I hope that by speaking up, I can help create a future where younger people are taken seriously, and fewer families have to go through what mine has.” ~ Matt, D (TAS)
“Participating in Call on Canberra was important to me because I want to help drive meaningful policy change. No one should have to wait as long as I did to receive a bowel cancer diagnosis, and everyone deserves timely access to the investigations they need. I also want to see bowel cancer detected earlier, without assumptions based on age. Too many younger people face delays because bowel cancer is often not considered early enough. By raising awareness and advocating for better policies through Call on Canberra, I hope more people can be diagnosed sooner, access treatment earlier, and ultimately have better outcomes.” ~ Dennielle, T (NSW)
“Attending Call on Canberra was important to me as it gave me an opportunity to share my own story. Raising awareness about early-onset bowel cancer is something I feel strongly about – I am lucky to be a Stage 4 survivor, but so many others, including my Sister-in-Law, have early symptoms dismissed, reducing their chances of remission and survival”. ~ Jess, H (VIC)
“Being diagnosed with bowel cancer as a 21-year-old in 2012 changed the trajectory of my life and attending Call on Canberra was an opportunity to help our nation’s leaders better understand the urgency surrounding the massive increase in bowel cancer rates in younger Australians. More funding for research, better pathways for timely diagnosis and treatment options matter. Speaking to politicians face-to-face about what they could do to help save future lives meant a lot to me and was a way to honour the wonderful friends I’ve made in the bowel cancer community who are no longer with us. I’m deeply proud to have attended the first years of Call on Canberra and the collective achievements of all the advocates and Bowel Cancer Australia.” ~ Stephanie, N (QLD)
“Attending Call on Canberra is important to me to ensure that those who don’t have a voice are able to. It’s a life-altering disease and it’s important we bring the human aspect of the impact to Parliament.” ~ William, C (VIC)
“It is our duty to push for better awareness, research, support and education so that bowel cancer can be better understood and approached seriously by the public and government.” ~ Robert, B (NSW)
“Attending Call On Canberra was important to me because I was able to let people know that Australia has the highest rates in the world of early-onset bowel cancer and more research is needed to slow down this alarming growing trend. I feel so fortunate to have the best medical care immediately and I am saddened that not everyone has this same experience as indeed they should. People should not have to shop around for a GP that takes their symptoms seriously. Age bias is a real thing, and young people are dying because of it. This needs to change and being part of such an organisation like Bowel Cancer Australia is a privilege.” ~ Kathryn, S-F (VIC)
“Attending Call on Canberra is important to me because I want to use my lived experience of bowel cancer to help shape a better future for others facing this disease. Advocating for greater education and awareness so people recognise the signs earlier and have the opportunity for earlier diagnosis and better outcomes. Having experienced the realities of bowel cancer myself, I know how important it is that no one’s symptoms are dismissed or their diagnosis comes too late. I will continue to forge forward for those who can’t, carrying the voices and memories of those whose futures were taken too soon. My hope is that by sharing my story and advocating for meaningful policy change, I can help shape a future where fewer people have to walk the path I did – and more people get the chance to live theirs.” ~ Jenny, D (TAS)
“Attending Call on Canberra is important to me because greater awareness and more research might prevent someone else having to go through what I have. Misdiagnosis is a huge part of my story and that needs to change for others.” ~ Toni, M (VIC)
“Attending Call on Canberra is important to me because I can’t change what has happened to me and the things I went through during my treatment. But I can change things for the better moving forward and ensure that pathways continue to improve for future bowel cancer patients.” ~ Taylor, K (QLD)
“Attending Call on Canberra and advocating for policy change is important to me to try to save lives and prevent other people from having to go through everything I, and my family and friends, have since my diagnosis.” ~ Philippa, G-J (WA)
“Attending Call on Canberra was an incredible experience. Over 2 years I’ve had the opportunity to meet with MPs and Senators to create meaningful change alongside fellow advocates, researchers and medical professionals. Hearing my local MP make a speech about my story during question time to create awareness is something I will always remember.” ~ Tara, S (QLD)
“To be surrounded by people who truly understand, turning our lived experience into a voice of change is something so close to my heart. Standing together to make sure the next generation is heard, diagnosed earlier and given a better chance.” ~ Natalie, H (QLD)
“Attending Call on Canberra and advocating for policy change was incredibly important to me. No one should have to go through the experiences that I, and so many others, have faced. But perhaps even more importantly, I did it for my sons. I wanted to show them that it is okay to show emotion. It is okay to be scared. It is okay to feel vulnerable. Some people still believe that showing these things somehow makes you less ‘manly’. I believe the opposite. True courage is being willing to face the things that scare you, to be open about how you feel, and to keep moving forward even when things are difficult. Being brave does not mean never being knocked down. It means choosing to get back up, again and again. For me, this was an opportunity to teach my sons about resilience, compassion, courage and love. To show them that strength is not about hiding vulnerability, but embracing it, and understanding that we do not have to face life’s hardest moments alone.” ~ Grant, E (WA)
“Being part of Call On Canberra and advocating for policy change is deeply personal to me. I was just 43 years old when I was diagnosed with bowel cancer, an age when many people don’t believe they are at risk. That experience changed my life and gave me a strong determination to ensure others have the best possible chance of early detection, treatment and survival. Call On Canberra provides a powerful opportunity to have meaningful conversations with Members of Parliament and Senators, helping to raise awareness of bowel cancer and the impact it has on individuals, families and communities across Australia. By sharing lived experience, we can put a human face to the statistics and demonstrate why investment in prevention, screening, research and support services matters. Advocating for policy change is important because it can save lives. Every improvement in awareness, screening participation and access to treatment has the potential to prevent a family from experiencing the devastation that a bowel cancer diagnosis can bring. It is also an opportunity to ensure the voices of patients, survivors and carers are heard by decision-makers. As a bowel cancer survivor, I believe we have a responsibility to speak up for those currently facing the disease and for those who may be diagnosed in the future. If sharing my story helps encourage one person to get screened, seek medical advice earlier, or inspires positive policy change, then it is worth every conversation. Real change happens when personal stories meet public policy and Call On Canberra is an important platform for making that happen.” ~ Donna, H (VIC)