rivers2cross

In an ideal world I would have met Nicole Cooper in Melbourne, Australia, where she currently lives and works. Sadly that wasn’t possible as I am stuck in a rather wet and miserable UK, but the wonders of modern technology enabled us to have a video chat this morning. I am delighted to reveal that Nicole has kindly agreed to be in the new bowel cancer charity book, The Record, which I am hoping to publish in the first half of 2019. Nicole, a wife and young mother has stage 4 bowel cancer, and the chapter will talk about her life with cancer, and the work she is now doing to help others. I am hugely grateful to Nicole for taking the time to chat with me, especially today, as tomorrow she undergoes lung surgery as part of her ongoing cancer treatment. Everything will be crossed for a successful outcome.

Usually I am able to coerce the people I meet into having a photo done with the bowel cancer tie, and more recently with #bowelbear Charlie, my stop bowel cancer teddy bear. So I managed to get a photo of Nicole with #bowelbear Charlie just as we ended our chat, and yes she did know I was taking it and was a great sport. The bears are helping to raise awareness about bowel cancer, and all proceeds raised from sales are donated to Bowel Cancer UK. Bowel cancer in Australia, like it is in the UK, is the second highest cancer killer. The message is the same globally that the early the cancer is detected the greater chance the patient has of surviving.