A Co Tyrone man will be sharing his personal experience of bowel cancer at a roadshow in Derry-Londonderry next week to raise awareness about the disease.

A giant inflatable bowel will also be in attendance on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (August 20-22) as part of Bowel Cancer UK’s roadshow to raise awareness about the disease.

David McCarter, from Dungannon, is volunteering at the roadshow to share his personal experience of bowel cancer and to speak to locals about what they should be looking out for.

Visitors can speak to David and other volunteers as well as walk through the bowel to learn about the signs and symptoms of the disease.

placeholder image — David McCarter. Credit: Supplied

David, 68, wants people to know how important it is that bowel cancer is diagnosed as early as possible: nine in ten people survive the disease when it’s diagnosed at the earliest stage.

He hopes by sharing his story, he can encourage more people to see their GP as soon as they notice possible bowel cancer symptoms such as blood in your poo, or a change in your pooing habits.

David’s bowel cancer journey began in 2013 when he noticed “a toilet bowl full of bright red, very loose poo.”

For years before this, David had a sensitive digestive system and paid close attention to what he ate and drank. The stress that came with owning a large dental practice made things worse and he had “become accustomed to odd bouts of diarrhoea.”

Two days after first spotting blood in the toilet, the same thing happened, and David arranged an appointment with his GP.

“I was reasonably fit, carried no excess weight, and apart from chronic backpain which comes with the job, I considered myself in decent health,” said David.

David’s GP was concerned by his symptoms, and after completing a rectal examination to determine whether the blood was caused by piles, put him on an urgent referral.

After a colonoscopy and a CT Scan David was diagnosed with bowel cancer.

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“Christmas that year was a sober occasion in more than one sense,” David said. His surgery was planned for early January, but before that he had five days of radiotherapy.

“The really good news was that the surgery was a success, and the cancer was stage 1, so no follow up chemotherapy was needed.”

Due to the placement of his cancer, David had to have a permanent stoma fitted, which he called Winnie: “As in Winnie-the-pooh.”

He has since made a full recovery. “I’ve skied, snorkelled in the Great Barrier Reef with my son, and generally got on with life,” he added.

“I’m a bowel cancer survivor because I knew something was different with my toilet routine, acted on it and got an early diagnosis.”

Since then, David has joined Bowel Cancer UK’s awareness volunteers in Northern Ireland. “I wanted to give something back to the charity because it had helped me throughout my treatment and gave me a focus and desire to help others.”

In April 2023, David was unfortunately diagnosed with prostate cancer, which was also diagnosed at an early stage. He has since underwent surgery and 35 sessions of radiotherapy and in August 2024, his blood results showed that his treatment has worked well.

“The take home message for both episodes is: don’t ignore things,” said David. “Listen to your body and if there’s something wrong, try to get it seen to as soon as possible.”

David is looking forward to volunteering at Bowel Cancer UK’s awareness roadshow in Derry-Londonderry and seeing people’s reactions to the inflatable bowel. Measuring 19 feet by 7 feet, about the same size as a family campervan, the bowel is an interactive experience to demonstrate the various stages of bowel cancer. A walk through it will help raise awareness of bowel cancer symptoms, the importance of taking part in screening and good bowel health.