FCN helps raise bowel cancer awareness

A volunteer with rural charity the Farming Community Network (FCN) has spoken about the realities of caring for a loved one with cancer, as part of a new awareness campaign.

In a short film, released at the start of Bowel Cancer Awareness Month in April, Northern Ireland-based volunteer Tracey Doherty shares the challenges of being a wife and carer.

It forms part of the Rural Communities Cancer Project, a UK-wide initiative led by FCN in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support to improve awareness of cancer symptoms in rural areas.

See also: Sheep farmer shares breast cancer survival story

© FCN

The film is also part of the charities’ #NipItInTheBud campaign, which encourages early medical advice and highlights the role of carers in supporting those diagnosed with cancer.

FCN’s national manager for Northern Ireland, Caitriona Crawford, said: “This Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, we are highlighting the powerful and often unseen experiences of those caring for loved ones impacted by cancer, alongside the importance of early diagnosis and its life-saving impact.”

Bowel cancer remains one of the most common cancers in the UK.

Survival rates are considerably higher when the disease is diagnosed early, with approximately 90% of patients surviving five years when diagnosed at stage one, compared to about 10% at stage four.

Difficult journey

Cancer can be an incredibly difficult time, Ms Crawford added, not only for the patient but for their loved ones who quickly become carers, navigating unfamiliar services, medications, side effects, and “the emotional toll of seeing someone they love become unwell or frightened”.

In the film, Mrs Doherty describes the “difficult journey” of supporting her husband through bowel cancer.

“There are times when as a wife, as a loved one, you feel very alone. No one really thinks that the loved one is suffering too,” she said.

“It’s important to talk to people about how you feel.”

Rural pressures

The campaign also draws attention to the pressures faced by carers in rural areas.

Research by Carers NI shows that those living in the countryside often encounter additional barriers, including limited access to healthcare services, longer travel times, and fewer local support networks.

“These challenges are often heightened in rural communities, where distance from treatment hospitals and wider wraparound care can add further pressure,” said Ms Crawford.

Seeking help

The Macmillan Support Line (0808 808 00 00), which is open seven days a week between 8am and 8pm, offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones.

Further information about the FCN Rural Communities Cancer Project is available on the  FCN website.