Son calls to end 'shame' over bowel cancer tests

A Leeds teacher who was left to raise his teenage siblings after their mother died of bowel cancer is urging people not to be "embarrassed" about taking part in screening for the disease.

Elliot Coleman's mother Sue passed away at the age of 56 in 2022, five years after being diagnosed.

According to the NHS, more than 25% of people in Yorkshire and the Humber do not take up invitations for stool testing which can detect bowel cancer.

Mr Coleman told the BBC: "My mum went through five years of pain and I don't want anyone else to go through that. I think it can easily be prevented by simply using a screening kit."

Mr Coleman, from Meanwood, was prompted to speak to the BBC two years on from Sue's death as he is expecting his first baby, who will never meet their grandmother.

He urged people to return stool samples in the post for the free NHS screening programme.

“The shame or embarrassment people may feel at the prospect of having their stool tested is not comparable to the feeling of knowing that my mum will never meet my child and become a grandma."

Mr Coleman added: “There isn't a day where I don't think about her and some days are harder than others."

Sue also missed other milestones in her children's lives, including her son Henri's A Levels and daughter Chloe's prom.

Cancer Research UK is donating nearly £300,000 to help fund research by the University of Leeds into how to improve the uptake of screening.

The charity said bowel cancer was the fourth most common type of the disease in the UK and every year about 3,800 people in Yorkshire and the Humber were diagnosed with it.

Prof Daryl O'Connor from the research team said there were many reasons people did not return their sample, such as "embarrassment, shame or lack of time".

He added: "We want to understand why and what we can do to improve the situation.

"We also want to reach out to under-served communities and ethnically diverse communities who can be less likely to return the kits for lots of different reasons."

One of the ideas is to introduce a deadline for the kits' return, as trials in other areas found that people were more likely to respond if there was a time limit.

Currently, people aged 54-74 are invited for screening, but the NHS has planned to lower the age limit to 50.

Mr Coleman, who teaches at Leeds College of Building, said he "welcomes absolutely anything" that would encourage people to use the home test kits.

He added: “My mum was not offered screening as she wasn’t eligible due to her age.

"However, after watching her endure five years of emotional and physical pain along with the strain the family endured, and at times we felt helpless. I would strongly urge everyone who is eligible, to take the test and return it."

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