Marcia Waldin of Hastings had no symptoms that suggested she might be on the way to getting bowel cancer, but her bowel screening test came back positive and she ended up having five pre-cancerous polyps removed.

“I am very proud of myself for doing the test and hope everyone who gets the chance takes up the opportunity,” she says.

Marcia says the test couldn’t be simpler. “I’m in my 70s; if I can do it, anyone can.” She admits it took a few days to get around to it. “It was on the table looking at me, and in the end I just thought ‘if you’re going to do it, do it’.” 

Within a week of mailing her test back in, she had a call from the hospital advising that she needed further investigation. 

She attended the “beautiful” new Ruakopito endoscopy and gastroenterology unit at Hawke’s Bay Hospital, underwent the colonoscopy procedure during which the polyps were removed, and was home the same day.

The result was certainly worth it. Marcia will have a follow-up appointment in three years, to check that she is completely well and that no new polyps have developed.

“I knew nothing about bowel screening and would not have done the test if it had not arrived in my letterbox. I am so glad it did!”