A FIREFIGHTER who survived a battle with bowel cancer is hoping to “remove the stigma” of the disease.

Guy Dunkley, 50, who works at Slade Park Fire Station in Headington, found out he had bowel cancer in 2010.

The fireman of 23 years narrowly avoided the cancer spreading, after first ignoring its symptoms.

Now the Eynsham resident is asking people who show symptoms of bowel cancer to get checked immediately, in a bid to reduce the number of deaths from the nation’s second biggest cancer killer.

Mr Dunkley, who has two sons and a step-daughter, said: “I was bleeding when I went to the toilet but I didn’t pay it much attention.

“After ten weeks I eventually went to the doctor after talking to my partner at the time about it. The GP could feel a tumour in my bowels, and then I went for the colonoscopy.

“They found a tumour the size of a £2 coin, which they removed.”

Now a Beat Bowel Cancer spokesman wants more people who find the symptoms of getting bowel cancer to go to their doctor.

Mr Dunkley added: “I didn’t need chemotherapy because they caught the malignant tumour early, but if I had waited another ten weeks, I wouldn’t be standing here today.

“My sister died of cancer in 2000 when she was 47 and it’s very hard losing a loved one.

“Getting checked means that you can get treated.

“There is a stigma attached to the disease but it’s important to remove that stigma.”

Since surviving bowel cancer, Mr Dunkley has had a new lease of life.

He said: “My dad died of a heart attack when I was five and it affected me throughout my life.

“I wouldn’t have wanted my boys or my step-girl to go through that.”

He said patients concerned about their bowels should consult their GP.

Mr Dunkley added: “You don’t even need to go through the embarrassing GP appointment – you can do a test by post.

“You can request a stool sample kit from your GP and send it off.

“What needs to happen is for people not to be ignorant of the symptoms.

“Bowel cancer is a killer.”

Beating Bowel Cancer will be holding a national day of awareness called Lift The Lid on Wednesday, April 22, to promote the early diagnosis of bowel cancers.

Symptoms include passing blood, abdominal pains, and a change in bowel habits.

Nine out of ten cases of bowel cancer are treatable if they are diagnosed early.

For more information, visit beatingbowelcancer.org/liftthelid