With the support of the Westfield Local Heroes Grant, we were at Westfield Marion today handing out free bowel screening test kits to customers aged 18 – 49 and 75+.

Jodi Lee Bowel Cancer Foundation Founder and Chair, Nick Lee OAM was named a Westfield Local Hero for Westfield Marion in 2021. As part of this recognition, he was awarded a $10,000 grant to support the work of the Foundation in the local community.

We were fortunate to have JLF Youth Ambassador Dahlia Matkovic pop past our activation today. Dahlia was just 27 years old and the healthiest she had ever been when she noticed blood in her stools. She saw her GP and was subsequently diagnosed with bowel cancer after undergoing a colonoscopy.

The Australian government sends a free bowel screening kit every two years to Australians aged 50 – 74. Today we encouraged customers aged 50-74 to take the time to complete their test at home or order a replacement if they’d misplaced theirs. For those outside of the 50-74 age group, we gave them a free at-home test to take, thanks to the support of the grant from Westfield.

The at-home screening test is not a test for cancer. It detects traces of blood in two separate bowel movements, which may indicate the presence of polyps or bowel cancer, among other causes.

Taking an at-home screening test every two years dramatically increases your chances of early detection of bowel cancer, which is the key to successful treatment.

Through this activation and by communicating key messages around the importance of early detection, it is hoped more people in the local community will be aware of the steps they can take to help protect themselves from bowel cancer.

Of course, if you experience any symptoms (blood in your bowel movements, a change in bowel habits, stomach pain, unexplained tiredness or weight loss) at any age, please speak with your GP.