West Ham United’s Official Charity Partner has been raising funds for pioneering bowel cancer research for nearly three decades...
Bobby Moore was just 51 years old when he died.
Shortly after his death in 1993, Bobby’s widow Stephanie Moore OBE set up the Bobby Moore Fund as a restricted fund of Cancer Research UK to raise money for pioneering bowel cancer research.
Since Bobby’s death, the generosity of our supporters has enabled us to raise over £29 million and mortality rates for bowel cancer have fallen by more than 30%.
But sadly, the disease still kills 46 people in the UK every day and is the third most common cancer in men and women. It’s much more common in people over 50, but bowel cancer can affect us all.
Kick off your healthy bowel habits
Did you know that more than half of bowel cancer cases could be prevented?
It’s never too late to make simple changes to cut your risk. Check out our top scoring tips:
Substitute the processed meat – Processed meat causes bowel cancer so the less you eat, the lower your risk. Try swapping out some or all processed meat for fresh chicken or fish. Or go veggie and switch to beans or pulses – why not try a bean chilli, lentil Bolognese or a chickpea curry?
Give smoking the red card – Stopping smoking is the best thing you can do for your health. It reduces your risk of 15 types of cancer, including bowel cancer. The number of people stopping has increased – you can do it too. Reach out to your local free stop smoking service and be three times more likely to stop for good.
Boot the booze – All types of alcoholic drinks increase your cancer risk and around 6% of bowel cancers in the UK are linked to alcohol. To cut down alternate alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic ones and avoid buying rounds of drinks.
Talking about our bowel habits isn’t always easy… but it’s time to tackle unusual changes to your body head on.
You know your body best, so don’t ignore something that doesn’t look or feel quite right. This includes any changes to your normal bowel habits such as looser poo, pooing more often or constipation, and/or blood in your poo.
It’s important to tell your doctor about any changes that are unusual for you or not going away. In most cases it won’t be cancer, but it’s not your job to know what’s wrong. And remember, your doctor has seen and heard it all before.
Paddy’s Story
Intrepid explorer and adventurer Paddy Scott is a filmmaker and cameraman who has worked in some of the world’s most extreme climates, from the Himalayas to Antarctica.
However, in early 2017 he found himself struggling to keep up on an expedition. This unexpected lethargy coupled with persistent stomach cramps persuaded him to visit his GP. After several blood tests, scans and an endoscopy, Paddy was diagnosed with bowel cancer which had spread to his liver.
Being a fit and healthy 34-year-old with no family history of cancer, the diagnosis came as a shock. “The word ‘cancer’ seems to have an effect on people that other diseases don’t seem to have,” says Paddy. “In my head, the idea that I would be able to survive cancer that was so advanced was hard to believe.”
But, after a year of intensive chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, by May 2018, Paddy was back at work.
Unfortunately, since this treatment, Paddy’s cancer has returned. He is currently stable, though living with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. However, thanks in part to his cancer treatments, Paddy and his partner Hen welcomed their first child, Osprey, into the world this summer.
The Bobby Moore Fund’s Keepy-Uppy Challenge
We’re calling on you take part in the Bobby Moore Fund Keepy-Uppy Challenge by doing as many keepy-uppies as you can, every day in November, and raise funds to tackle bowel cancer – the disease that took Bobby’s life, aged just 51.
You can complete this challenge in whatever way that suits you. You can use a football or any other prop you like, you can set yourself a daily target of 50 a day or build up to a specific number by the end of the month, and you can even do this solo or tackle it together as a team.
However, you take part, all we ask is that you raise money for The Bobby Moore Fund to help tackle bowel cancer.
Sign up now here and get your FREE Bobby Moore Fund challenge t-shirt!