Bowel Cancer Ireland is a peer support, advocacy, and awareness group. We are all volunteers who are living with, recovering from, or caring for someone with bowel cancer.

• We run a peer-to -peer support group via Facebook, over 250 bowel patients but it is private for patients or carers who are dealing with a loved one who is going through bowel cancer.
• We work week- know charities to raise awareness about early-onset cancers in people under 50.
• We also have a network of patients ambassadors for publicity campaigns and for roles in patient and public involvement work.
• Finally, we work with institutions and the pharmaceutical sector on prevention, early detection and to work towards better patients outcomes.

Bowel Cancer Ireland, started in Autumn 2022. 9  young women (between 35 and 50) found each other through social media really. Sadly, they had a diagnosis of advanced colorectal cancer and could not find someone else going through the harsh reality of surgeries and chemo and side effects. But, somehow, they found each other and created this group.

They supported each other but they realised they shared a strong passion and desire to raise more awareness of this disease, support each other and anyone else facing this diagnosis, and campaign for change.

Since 2022, there has been heartache, majority of the founding members have passed away as they were diagnosed with Stage 4. These ladies lived their lives with sparkle to the end. All of the them, just wanted to created this group so no one dealing with bowel cancer would face it alone and raise awareness and better outcome for other patients.

There is a new working group who is bringing in new ideas and their bowel cancer experience to spread the awareness and keep patient advocacy on the agenda. The new working group is Niamh Conroy, Deirdre Fleming, Brendan Donlon, Martina Dolan with the assistance from other people who remains namelessly at the moment.