A GRANDFATHER who has beaten cancer says his life was saved because the disease was detected early — and is urging others to make sure they get checked out.

Bernard Nealon, aged 71, was diagnosed with bowel cancer nearly 20 years ago in 1995 after constantly feeling tired.

Early detection meant Mr Nealon, from Little Lever, has not only recovered, but the early detection meant he avoided intense treatment.

And he wants to use Bowel Cancer Awareness month to encourage others to be tested.

Mr Nealon, a retired bricklayer, said: “I am a quiet person but I feel passionate about people being screened.

“If it hadn’t been for my wife and her friend who told me to go to the doctors I wouldn’t have gone. I thought I was tired from working seven days a week.”

He said his initial signs of the disease were constant tiredness and rapid weight loss, which saw him lose one-and-ahalf stone over a short period.

His cancer was diagnosed and removed within weeks and he did not need chemotherapy.

But last year he sent off a screening kit after receiving it through the post and was invited to the Royal Bolton Hospital to discuss the results. A colonoscopy (colon examination) revealed he had several polyps, non-cancerous growths, and they were removed under local aesthetic.

He said: “I was diagnosed at the early stages. Doctors said if I had waited a few more months it could have been too late.

“The screening is nothing to be embarrassed about. It is better to be safe.”

Symptoms include changes in bowel habits that last for three to four weeks, lower backache, extreme tiredness or weight loss.

People aged 60 and older are sent screening kits every two years.

Call Julie Wright, bowel cancer screening project worker, for more information on 01204 462178, email julie.wright@bolton.nhs.uk or visit bowelscreening.org