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\n Ciaran Cunningham<\/p>\n
\n Ciaran Cunningham<\/p>\n
\n The first day of the awareness month coincides with the HSE free bowel screening programme being expanded\n <\/p>\n
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Ciaran Cunningham<\/p>\n
“Men, through embarrassment, or through busyness, or just plain stupidity in my eyes…when I look back on it, I had all the symptoms of bowel cancer.”<\/p>\n
With April marking Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, a Kildare resident is urging the public not to ignore or minimise symptoms.<\/p>\n
Ciaran Cunningham, a father of two and executive chef, was 50 years old when he was diagnosed with Stage 3 bowel cancer in 2024.<\/p>\n
Speaking on this morning’s Kildare Today show, Mr. Cunningham described how he previously ignored his symptoms, due to a prior history of stomach ulcers and embarrassment in raising his symptoms with his GP.<\/p>\n
“Isn’t that a typical man thing”, he said.<\/p>\n
“Men, through embarrassment, or through busyness, or just plain stupidity in my eyes, I think when I look back on it, I had all the symptoms of bowel cancer.”<\/p>\n
Some of the signs of bowel cancer can include changes to bowel movements, blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss, and feeling tired or breathless.<\/p>\n
For Mr. Cunningham, an abdominoperineal resection (APR) surgery was had, which removed the rectum, anus, the sigmoid colon, and creating a hole in his stomach to pull his large intestine through to allow waste disposal.<\/p>\n
“The crazy thing [is], I wouldn’t go the doctor for the embarrassment or the fear, but ever since my cancer diagnosis, I must’ve shown fifty doctors my rear end after the operation”, he laughed.<\/p>\n
He highlighted that doctors and professionals see many patients a day, and that no one should feel ashamed or afraid of checking in with their GP.<\/p>\n
“I can only move forward. I want to raise as much awareness as I can to try help people avoid going through what I have.<\/p>\n
“My message to the public this Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and every month is simple; please don\u2019t ignore your symptoms. If something doesn\u2019t feel right and it\u2019s been like that for a while, just go and speak to your doctor\u201d, he concluded.<\/p>\n
The Irish Cancer Society is calling on the public be aware of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer and to go to their GP.<\/p>\n
It’s particularly calling on younger people under 50 to do so, and be mindful if there is family history of bowel cancer.<\/p>\n
Coinciding with the first day of Bowel Cancer Awareness month, the HSE free bowel screening programme is being expanded.<\/p>\n
From today, everyone between the ages of 57 and 71 will be eligible for the at-home testing kit.<\/p>\n
It opens the programme to an additional 116,000 people.<\/p>\n
The HSE says anyone turning 57 can expect to receive an invitation before their 59th birthday.<\/p>\n
Bowel cancer is Ireland\u2019s second most common cause of cancer-related death, second only to lung cancer, with about 2,500 diagnoses each year and around 1,000 deaths each year.<\/p>\n
The full interview with Ciaran Cunningham can be listened to here:<\/p>\n