rivers2cross

Chapter 11 of The Record features a chapter on Gina & Esmée Shergold. I have known Gina for around eight years since the very beginning of my mother’s bowel cancer and my subsequent fundraising. I came across Gina’s beautiful and moving blog about her husband Steve, who sadly died of bowel cancer in 2015 aged just 33.

I travelled down to Bournemouth in 2017 to meet Gina and her daughter Esmée, and as you can see from the more recent photo with The Record Esmée is growing up fast.

It is one of the most moving chapters in the book as Gina opened up to me about her and Steve’s life together, and his bowel cancer in great detail, which can’t have been easy for her. One of the reasons why I have written The Record, and why people tell me their stories is to help raise awareness about bowel cancer, in the hope that others may not have to experience the agony of losing a loved one.

The Record was written in memory of my mum who died of bowel cancer in August 2016. All profits are donated to Bowel Cancer UK, and over £870 has been raised to date. I am hoping to reach £1000 during 2020. Click here to see all the ways to order a copy of the book.

Bowel cancer claims 16,000 lives in the UK, and is the second biggest cancer killer. However if caught early at stage 1 it is very treatable, and the five year survival rate is over 90%. When detected at the late stage 4 the five year survival rate drops dramatically to 7%. This shows how crucial early diagnosis is to getting a better outcome. Knowing the symptoms is so important.