Rotary helping to beat bowel cancer

By KAREN COOMBS

THE Rotary Club of Dandenong’s community campaign raising awareness of bowel cancer is saving lives.

Rotarian Trevor Harding, who has been organising the campaign for more than 10 years, said he had been getting encouraging feedback and knew of four people in Dandenong who had been helped.

The club has combined with three chemists in Dandenong to provide an easy-to-use kit that helps detect the disease. For $10, people can take the kit home and once it has been used, return the pack to the chemist, who then sends it to a laboratory.

Mr Harding is pleased that word is getting out about the kits.

“The chemists have been fantastic,” he said. “Media has been our only form of advertising and posters put up in the pharmacies. It’s been more successful because of this and we’d like it to be more successful again.

“Men are the hardest to get to. Whether they are embarrassed, I’m not certain but women are more willing to participate.”

The chemists working with the Rotary club are Terry White Chemists (Dandenong Plaza), Dandenong Central Pharmacy (corner of Walker and Langhorne streets, Dandenong) and Chemist Warehouse (265 Lonsdale Street, Dandenong).

Kits must be returned by May 31. Mr Harding would like to hear any feedback on the campaign and can be contacted on 0409 797 730.

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