As a community, Australians don't like talking about bowel cancer.
It's literally a shitty subject.
But it's time to change that mentality.
It's the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in this country, and the second biggest killer, taking more lives than breast, prostate or skin cancer.
We should all be aware of the risk and the single biggest thing we can do to improve our chances against bowel cancer is to do your bowel screening test every two years.
We know now there are rising numbers of younger people developing bowel cancer, but the biggest risk factor is still age.
Genetics, health and lifestyle can all contribute to developing this deadly cancer. While the average age at diagnosis is 69, increasingly younger people have been stunned to discover they had a well-advanced cancer.
Because of this, the Albanese Government lowered the minimum age for free screening from 50 to 45 after a review of the latest scientific evidence by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
From 1 July this year, the 1.6 million Australians aged 45 to 49 are now eligible to screen with the free National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.
Since then, over 50,000 people in this age group have put their health first and ordered their free kit.
And why wouldn't you? It is one of the easiest cancer screening tests you will do, and it is completely free.
As Australians we have a world class health system and we are world leaders in cancer screening.
But screening programs are only effective if they are used.
Too many Australians are not taking advantage of the free bowel cancer test even though it could literally save their lives.
It takes only a few minutes, and is easy to do in the privacy of your own home.
We know everyone gets busy, everyone has good intentions to do the test.
But you get home, open the mail and put the free cancer screening kit at the bottom of the pile - somewhere out of sight and forget about it.
So next time you get your kit don't put it in the bottom draw.
As the Cancer Council says, Get2It - it could save your life.
Put the kit in the bathroom or right next to the toilet.
It is much harder to ignore when the screening is starting at you in plain sight.
Once the samples are collected, they are mailed free to a pathology laboratory for analysis. The results are sent to you and your nominated GP within four weeks.
The outcome is either peace of mind or early detection. But if it is caught early, more than 90 per cent of bowel cancers can be successfully treated.
Please, don't wait until symptoms develop. Don't make excuses to yourself. Order a test kit, open it, and complete it within two weeks.
Together, we need to encourage our family, friends and loved ones to prioritise their health and Get2It by taking a simple test that could potentially save their life.
Everyone aged from 45 to 74 is encouraged to do their free test every two years.
People aged 45 to 49 can request their first bowel screening kit and join the program at www.ncsr.gov.au/boweltest. People aged 50 to 74 will continue to receive their kits in the mail
