I will fight to save lives and am determined to win

Within months Mrs Backler was dead, aged just 56. Lauren was devastated.

Her mum had played a large part in her life and suddenly wasn’t there any more.

Bereavement can take many forms and Lauren decided to throw herself into campaigning in memory of her mum and also fighting for what she sees as a worthy cause to potentially save other lives.

Lauren’s mission is quite simple. She wants screening for bowel cancer to be available to men and women from the age of 50.

At present the minimum age is 60. In Scotland it is 50.

Lauren, who lives in Eastbourne, believes if the age had been 50 then her mum would still be alive today.

And if Fiona Blackler had lived in Scotland, not England, she would still be enjoying life.

Lauren, 26, said: “I have to do this, not just for mum but for the many other thousands of people in this country who could die just like my mum did.

“And it can’t be right.

“Why does Scotland treat people better when we don’t?

“It should be an equal playing field and a minimum age of 50 for everyone.”

Lauren has been campaigning for two years.

She felt like it had reached a plateau until about two weeks ago when she was suddenly contacted by a national charity.

She explains: “I spoke with Beating Bowel Cancer and they told me that they wanted to work with me to try to get the screening age reduced.

“This is just the renewed impetus I needed, although in truth I was never going to give up. I am never going to give up .

“Having the weight of a national charity behind me can only help.

“Anywhere I can spread the message further has to be good news and they have opened many new doors for me.”

Lauren was delighted to be interviewed live on BBC1’s This Morning by Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.

She said: “It was an amazing experience and led to some great feedback and renewed interest.

“So many people contacted me after seeing me on national television.

“I was very touched by the great reaction.”

Lauren knows she needs more than public sympathy to be successful in her fight.

She has taken that fight direct to MPs after speaking at a House of Commons reception.

She said: “I honestly believe that the MPs will listen to me.

“They must do, be it now or later.

“The meeting in the House of Commons was very emotional.

“To be given the opportunity to tell my story in front of key decision-makers was amazing.

“I just hope that it will make a difference.

“Caroline Ansell, my local MP, has been very supportive but we now need to get other MPs on board and join together to campaign for this.”

Lauren recalls how it all started.

She said: “Mum was terminal when she was diagnosed at 55 in the accident and emergency unit.

“We’d been back and forth from the doctors and told it was kidney stones, so it was a huge shock.

“We never expected it to be bowel cancer.

“She would have been screened three times if the screening age was 50. She’d have stood a chance.”

Caroline Ansell thinks Lauren is amazing.

She said: “Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer with more than 40,000 people diagnosed every year.

“It is curable if diagnosis is early enough.

“Lauren is doing a fantastic job of raising awareness of the bowel cancer screening age difference within the UK.

“I am writing to the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to ask him whether a change down to 50 is possible in England.

“But it’s equally important we are more open about bowel cancer because there is an element of embarrassment about the disease that could be leading to unnecessary deaths, regardless of any screening programme.

“It should no longer be a taboo subject and sampling can literally save lives – potentially thousands per year.

“I am also writing to the local Clinical Commissioning Group to see what it is doing to encourage people to present for screening if they believe they may have symptoms as this is also a crucial tool in the fight against this terrible disease.”

Lauren said bowel cancer screening saves lives.

She said: “It can detect the early stages of cancer often before symptoms are showing.

“There are really two key numbers that matter: 97 per cent and seven per cent.

“Of everyone who is diagnosed with stage one bowel cancer, 97 per cent survive for at least five years.

“For all those diagnosed at stage four, only seven per cent survive for five years.

“What more proof is needed that early diagnosis is vital in the fight against this disease?

“It will also be cheaper for the NHS in the long run.

“The cost of screening will be much lower than the cost of treating people who have the disease and may well die.”

Lauren’s online petition already has more than 275,000 signatures.

It can be found at: change.org/p/jeremy-hunt-secretary-of-state-for-health-lower-the-age-for-bowel-cancer-screening-in-england-to-50.

She also wants as many people as possible to contact their MP through a link which takes seconds to complete. It can be found at bit.ly/screeninglottery.

Her message is: “Please sign both petitions. It may save lives.

“I know that the battle is not yet won and it is a long battle but it is a battle that I am determined to win.

“Nothing will bring back mum and our whole family is devastated at the loss. We miss her every day.

“It’s the simple things, the chatting and having someone to ask questions or just to get reassurance.

“Nothing I can do will bring my mum back but while there is a cause to be fought for I will continue to fight – and I am fighting to win.

“Mum was the kind of person who would do anything for anyone. She was utterly selfless, loving and wonderful.

“Unfortunately nothing can change what has happened and we are having to live with our grief and heartbreak.

“But if by fighting for this change, even one family are spared this kind of loss, then I think it’s worth it.

“I’ve estimated that up to 6,000 people a year are being diagnosed with bowel cancer in their 50s.

“If ever there was a reason to fight, that statistic alone makes it all worthwhile.”

Beating Bowel Cancer said survival rates for bowel cancer are lower in the UK than in many other European countries.

It says there is variation in the quality of care depending on where you’re treated.

A charity spokesman said: “Positive improvements are happening all the time in bowel cancer diagnosis, treatment and care but we need to do better.

“Bowel cancer can be beaten if we act to diagnose more people early and we deliver the best possible care and treatment.

“We need to make sure bowel cancer is diagnosed earlier.

“We have an opportunity to make bowel cancer a rare cancer killer with more lives saved, and ensure better care for every bowel cancer patient.

“To make this a reality, we need work together.”

Lauren couldn’t agree more.

What she wants now is for the public support to continue and, indeed, to increase.