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The Record opens with a chapter on the former Everton footballer, Kevin Sheedy, who is a bowel cancer survivor. We met at Everton’s training ground in February 2017, as at that time Kevin was still working at the club in charge of the Under-18 side. Going to the state-of-the-art training facilities was a fascinating and enjoyable first for me, never having been to such a place before. We talked about his distinguished playing career for Everton and the Republic of Ireland.

Kevin has completely recovered from bowel cancer, but still has regular check-ups. By sharing his story in his role as an ambassador for Beating Bowel Cancer (now part of Bowel Cancer UK), Kevin has helped to raise awareness about bowel cancer.

Everyone featured in The Record has told me about their first record, and Kevin’s is an absolute classic single from 1972.

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.