Alexandra Liddington with her father Graham Liddington, who has stage four bowel cancer. Photo / Warren Buckland
Alexandra Liddington with her father Graham Liddington, who has stage four bowel cancer. Photo / Warren Buckland
Graham Liddington wants the average screening age for bowel cancer to be lowered, and for people to get tested - if not for themselves, for their family.
"I'm grateful to the Government for providing this service but I'd like to see a drop in the bowel cancer screening age.
"Iwas diagnosed with bowel cancer at 47, which is 18 years shy of the screening age. If screening was an option earlier I would have taken it and I would like to see it pushed," he said.
Hawke's Bay DHB has posted 38,319 testing kits over the past three years of the regional roll-out of the national Bowel Screening Programme.
Residents eligible for the kits are currently between 60 and 74 years old.
Graham discovered he had cancer when he went to the hospital to receive medication for stomach pains. Further testing revealed he had a perforated bowel and just hours to live.
Several surgeries, four months of recovery, and six months of chemotherapy later Graham received the all-clear, only to find out months later the cancer had returned.
"It meant further surgery and months of recovery. We then found out that the surgery hadn't worked and that my condition was stage four and terminal," he said.
Graham was offered further chemotherapy but due to previous treatments making him extremely ill, he has opted for immunotherapy instead.
According to the Cancer Society New Zealand, immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that supports the immune system in fighting advanced cancer.
Immunotherapy aims to cure and shrink cancer, increase results of radiation treatment, relieve some cancer symptoms, reduce the likelihood of cancer coming back and increase life expectancy.
It currently costs between $60,000-70,000.
To help raise money for the treatment Graham's daughter Alexandra has been using social media to sell donated candyfloss and raffle tickets to her followers on Facebook.
"I've organised three raffles so far and been donated 200 bags of candyfloss to sell. So far I've raised about $1950, but I've also received about $400 of koha," she said.
Other friends have organised a Givealittle page called Graham's Journey and One Love Community in Flaxmere are helping to fundraise for the treatment.
"It's difficult to open up to receive everyone's generosity and care. My gratitude is so heavy it can be overwhelming at times.
"I'm so proud of my daughter's efforts, which have also brought other people on board to help push this," he said.
Alexandra Liddington has been helping to raise funds for her father Graham Liddington's immunotherapy treatment. Photo / Warren Buckland
Graham, who is a father of eight and grandfather of 13, wants to have as long as possible with his whanau.
"I worry about our little ones, I don't want to steal their smiles," he said.
Graham has no history of bowel cancer in his family, although he later discovered that he was genetically predisposed to the condition.
"Cancer is not racist, ageist, sexist or classist - it doesn't discriminate. This isn't about Māori, it's about all of us.
"Don't leave it too late," he said.
From personal experience, Graham recommends that everyone gets screened, emphasising that it is an easy, private, and painless process, even though it might seem invasive.
Hawke's Bay DHB Bowel Screening Programme kaitakawaenga Hinetewhiurangi Kani said there is a 90 per cent chance of long-term survival for people diagnosed with early-stage bowel cancer, and who received treatment early.
"We are working hard to help educate people about the free tests and provide support to reduce barriers, even if that means visiting homes, marae or churches and numerous other community events to kōrero more," Kani said.
Graham has just one more request.
"I don't want people to feel sorry for me. I enjoy every moment.
"The sky seems bluer, the grass seems greener, the air is fresher. No grey sky day is a bad day for me," he said.
