Lynn helps break the bowel cancer barrier
4/23/2010Lynn Shepherd, a missionary from Great Harwood, explains how ignoring bowel cancer through embarrassment or denial could be fatal.
As part NHS East Lancashire's bowel cancer awareness campaign - ‘Don't rush to flush', residents will be asked to look out for symptoms such as diarrhoea, constipation and blood when they go to the toilet. Embarrassed? As Lynn Shepherd, a missionary from Great Harwood would tell you, ignoring bowel cancer through embarrassment or denial could be fatal.
Lynn, 57, suffered from bowel cancer. When she was diagnosed, she wasn't surprised, because her father Jim had died of the disease several years earlier. Having suffered the heartache of losing her father to bowel cancer, and fighting her own battle with the disease, Lynn has made it her mission to make as many people as possible aware of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer, as well as its devastating impact.
Lynn commented: "I think my father knew he had cancer, but he chose to ignore it. He had suffered with polyps - which cause bleeding from the backside - for years. He had to have them removed. But he would never visit the doctor regularly, or with any other symptoms. I think he simply didn't want to know."
In 2001, Jim paid the ultimate price. After a doctor called to see Lynn's mother, the doctor persuaded Jim to go into hospital where he was diagnosed with bowel cancer. He died within two months. Lynn was working with a Baptist mission in Peru at the time.
Lynn recalled: "It was hard to lose my father, especially as I was thousands of miles away. But there was nothing I could do, thankfully I have nine brothers and sisters and I know they did all they could at the time."
However, whilst dealing with her grief, Lynn started showing symptoms of bowel cancer herself.
Lynn explained: "I knew the signs, when I started bleeding when I had bowel movements; I immediately went to see a doctor."
Lynn was still in Peru, as her mission was due to last for several years. She visited the doctor there, and after having two colonoscopies (examinations of the colon) over four year, Lynn's cancer was still not confirmed.
"By this time, I'd had enough," Lynn recalled. "I decided to come back to East Lancashire and see a doctor here."
Lynn saw a specialist in May 2006, who confirmed that she had bowel cancer. Lynn underwent rigorous chemotherapy, which was successful. Lynn is not yet in the clear, and her progress is monitored annually. However, she values the distinct difference between her fate and her father's.
"There are two sides to my story. As a bowel cancer survivor, you feel guilty, thinking ‘why should I survive, when so many others have died?' But seeing my father pass away makes me realise that choosing between accepting and ignoring bowel cancer symptoms really is the difference between life and death. More people need to know this," she said.
Lynn has since become a volunteer for NHS East Lancashire's ‘Communities against Cancer' team. Lynn uses every opportunity to make people aware about bowel cancer. Her strong Christian faith has put Lynn in good stead to work with other religious communities to spread the word about bowel cancer.
Lynn has also played a key role in NHS East Lancashire's ‘Don't rush to flush campaign.'
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For further information please contact Sally Davies at the PCT on 01282 644720 or Halima Khatun at Bell Pottinger North on 01625 506 426 or by e-mail at: hkhatun@bellpottingernorth.co.uk.
