I have been experiencing symptoms since my late twenties but have always been dismissive as I consider myself a reasonably fit and healthy husband and father of three.

After no symptoms for quite some time, I was surprised to receive a positive test from a workplace initiative through The Jodi Lee Foundation.  This prompted me to follow up with my doctor, who said that it was probably nothing major, but since I had a positive result, recommended that I see a specialist.

I was surprised to wake up from a colonoscopy with the doctor telling me that I had an advanced tumor in my bowel that could be cancerous.  I was booked in to surgery 4 days later.  After a week in hospital, I was told that the test results were clear but biopsies indicated that if the growth was left, then it would have progressed to cancer.

I am very lucky that this was detected so early and am grateful for my workplace and The Jodi Lee Foundation for empowering me to investigate a problem that was previously dismissed.