What a Bummer is brought to you by Bowel & Cancer Research, registered charity number 1119105. We fund research into bowel cancer and other bowel conditions, such as colitis and Crohn’s Disease.
In 2010 more than 40,000 people were diagnosed with bowel cancer. It’s the 3rd most common form of cancer and takes the 2nd most lives after lung cancer; around 16,000 people die each year.
Bowel cancer is a complex disease, but the enduring taboo which surrounds anything to do with bums or bowels doesn’t help the fight against it because very often people are too embarrassed to go to the doctor with symptoms. This means that it is often diagnosed too late and can’t be cured.
This is particularly tragic given that, if caught on time, it is one of the easiest cancers to cure.
About What a Bummer
When Paul Reynolds approached us to let us know that he had been raising money for our research, we were thrilled. He knows all about bowel cancer because he was diagnosed with it in 2007 – at the age of just 41.
It was a shock, but things don’t get Paul down easily. Determined to remain positive for himself, his wife, family and friends he asked people to send him “bum jokes” to provide some light relief while going through his treatment. They readily obliged, and the seed of What a Bummer was planted.
Now we want to gather more jokes, the best of which will make it into What a Bummer, the book. The book will be a full of hilarious material and will also carry important information about bowel cancer, to encourage people to check for symptoms and go to their doctor with anything worrying so that if there is anything wrong, it can be dealt with speedily. If it’s caught on time 9 in 10 people will be cured
Our friends at Hattrick Productions are helping us to pull the material together and giving advice and support – very many thanks to them.
So, please leave something for us, and if you’re interested in learning more about what we do visit us at www.bowelcancerresearch.org
