Joe Grogan, from Tuam in Co. Galway is encouraging people to take the BowelScreen test. Joe turned 59 in March 2023 and got a letter from BowelScreen in November 2023. He was one of the first 59-year-olds to take part in BowelScreen after the screening age range was extended to include people aged 59 in October 2023. His bowel cancer was found after he took the BowelScreen test.
“I’m alive and kicking and that’s really all thanks to a letter I got from BowelScreen. It was my first time doing the BowelScreen test. I got a letter and I thought ‘I don’t need this’. Then I picked it up again, looked at it and thought ‘what have I got to lose?’ I rang the Freephone number and got the kit sent out to my home.
“When I was doing the test, I did think this wasn’t a natural thing to be doing. I read what I had to do and thought, I’ll leave that for a day… and then I changed my mind and just got on with it. It’s less than 5 minutes of your life. Once it’s in the tube that’s it.
“For what that five minutes has meant to me, I’d do it every day if I had to.”
Joe got a call in December 2023. “They said that something had shown up in my test and they’d like to arrange a colonoscopy in January. I could see a polyp on the screen during the colonoscopy. I thought they would just snip it out and off I’d go.”
A biopsy of the polyp confirmed that Joe had bowel cancer. He says: “I was shocked. I couldn’t take it in. I had no symptoms, no signs and hadn’t been worried over Christmas about the colonoscopy.”
Joe had further follow-up tests and started a treatment plan including chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, followed by surgery in August 2024.
He says: “There was very little discomfort after surgery. I just had to mind myself and follow the rules my doctor gave me. Here I am eight months after the surgery, it was a blip. I will park that part of my life and move on with the rest.
“The HSE BowelScreen experience from start to finish was brilliant. They explained everything and were very positive every step of the way. The earlier bowel cancer is caught the more chance you have of getting on with your life.
“In my line of business as an undertaker I’ve unfortunately dealt with people who have died of not just bowel cancer but all forms of cancer, including friends of mine. I tell all the lads I went to school with to do the test if they have the chance. I posted it in our Facebook group when I was having chemo.
“I got loads of messages back. Some had done the test, some had never even opened the letter. I even gave a few of them the BowelScreen number. Thankfully no one has come back with a similar result.
“I don’t want people to be afraid of getting screened for bowel cancer. It’s a first step. If it comes back negative, happy days. If there is an issue deal with it. Don’t let it go. Bowel cancer can be a treatable condition, especially when it’s found early.”
BowelScreen is for everyone aged 59 to 70. It can prevent bowel cancer developing and could save your life. Just one test can help reduce the risk of developing bowel cancer over your lifetime.