Editorial: Cause so close to home

Like Rotorua's John Mayhew my father has had his battles with bowel cancer. Photo / Stephen Parker

Like most people in Rotorua and New Zealand I understand the realities of cancer, and they are not pleasant.

Just about everyone I know has had a run-in with the disease, or is closely related to someone who has.

As today is Daffodil Day, the Cancer Society's annual flagship event and one of the most important fundraising and awareness campaigns in the country, I'd like to encourage everyone to dig deeply and give what you can to this fantastic organisation.

Like Rotorua's John Mayhew my father has had his battles with bowel cancer and stayed in Hamilton's Lions Lodge while receiving treatment. I can only hope John's outcome is the same as my father's - a positive one.

Dad said the lodge was an amazing facility and helped him greatly. I visited on a number of occasions and was very impressed with the set-up.

Like John, dad made some good friends and was able to share his experiences with others, which helped lighten the load.

Since my father's cancer scares I have been diagnosed with a bowel disorder and receive an annual check-up which requires a day in hospital.

It's not a pleasant procedure, but it's one I'm very grateful to receive through our public health system.

Our family has also signed up to be part of a national study into genetic predisposition for cancer and I hope we can help others in the future learn from the information gathered.

I've been told the best way to survive cancer is early detection.

Yes, there are all sorts of people who will tell you it's down to diet and lifestyle, and they certainly are factors, but no doctor worth their salt will tell you there is a sure-fire way to beat the disease. And there are no miracle cures.

If you are worried, get checked, see your GP, don't wait until it's too late.