Bowels don’t come much bigger than the one which will be outside Bunnings on Tuesday.
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A giant inflatable colon is touring Tasmania for the first time as part of National Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.
Designed to raise awareness of early bowel cancer detection, the Big Bowel consists of a three-dimensional interior featuring giant polyps, early stage and advanced stage bowel cancer, as well as colitis and Crohn’s disease.
It has been touring parts of NSW and Victoria annually for the past five years.
Bowel Cancer Australia chief executive Julien Wiggins said the Big Bowel was a unique way of providing important information.
“A person can read all the guide books there are, but there’s nothing quite like a visit to bring a place to life,” he said.
“That’s not just the case for places like Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef, but also the Big Bowel.”
Bowel cancer is Australia’s deadliest cancer after lung cancer, killing more than 4000 people each year.
When detected early through bowel screening and timely diagnosis, 90 per cent of bowel cancer cases can be successfully treated.
Bowel Cancer Australia nurse Fiona Radford said research indicated knowledge about every aspect of bowel health improved significantly after a visit to the Big Bowel.
“A tour of the Big Bowel benefits all visitors,” he said.
“It shows them in a memorable way that bowel cancer is treatable and beatable when detected early.”
Accompanying the Big Bowel on its tour of Tasmania are Wayne and Beth Shannon, whose daughter was diagnosed with young-onset bowel cancer at the age of 29.
Wayne said the experience has inspired them to to help others who are interested in learning more about bowel cancer.
“We like to remind visitors that you’re never too young to be told you have bowel cancer,” he said.
Bowel Cancer Australia’s Big Bowel will be at North Launceston Bunnings from 10am-2pm on Tuesday, June 5.
From there, it will travel to Burnie Bunnings, where it will be on display on Thursday, June 7.
For more information, visit bowelcanceraustralia.org.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Sean Slatter
Journalist at Fairfax Media based at Launceston.
Journalist at Fairfax Media based at Launceston.
