Paul Davies MP shares his experience of having bowel cancer to mark Bowel Cancer Awareness Month 2025

Paul Davies is the Labour Member of Parliament for Colne Valley and one of our parliamentary champions. He’s helping us represent the needs of bowel cancer patients in Westminster. This is particularly important at this time as we work to make sure the Government’s new national cancer plan addresses the barriers to early diagnosis of bowel cancer in England.  

This Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, Paul has kindly shared his personal experience of bowel cancer and his message about the changes needed for bowel cancer care. 

Paul’s Story 

“At almost 59 years old, I found myself at a crossroads in life. Having spent 18 years working across Europe in senior roles for two global companies, I decided to make a significant career change. I trained as a primary school teacher and began working as a supply teacher in 2016. Little did I know that this year would bring one of the most challenging experiences of my life: a cancer diagnosis. 

My diagnosis

On August 24, 2016, I was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer. The symptoms leading up to this were blood in my stools, tiredness, and weight loss. The confirmation of my diagnosis was not a shock, as I had seen the tumour during my colonoscopy, and my wife, being a nurse, had helped me understand the seriousness of the situation. My immediate reaction was to focus on removing the tumour and commencing any appropriate treatment. The consultant reassured me that the cancer was curable, which greatly helped my mindset.  

Going through treatment

My treatment began swiftly with a week of intensive radiotherapy two weeks after my diagnosis, followed by surgery on September 28. The surgeon removed a fifth of my colon and I did not need a colostomy bag. A few weeks after surgery, I started six months of chemotherapy. The treatment was tough, involving major surgery and a challenging recovery process. I worked on keeping mobile despite the pain, and sleeping was difficult. Chemotherapy was particularly harsh; taking the oral tablets made me feel nauseous most of the time, and eating became a struggle. I felt weak and flu-like, focusing on each day and week of treatment to cope with the challenges. 

After my treatment

Despite the difficulties, I found strength in focusing on the future. Following my treatment, I was selected by the Labour Party to stand as a Councillor in November 2017. Although I was not successful initially, I stood again in May 2019 and was elected. I became a Cabinet Member in 2020 and then Deputy Leader in 2023. In July 2024, I stood as the Labour Party Parliamentary candidate and was elected as the MP for Colne Valley. 

Sharing my story is important to me because it demonstrates that there is life after cancer. With the help of amazing NHS staff and personal determination, it is possible to get through it. However, I was lucky; my cancer was close to being stage 4, highlighting the need for improved early diagnosis. 

Today, I am fine and was discharged in 2022. I no longer have regular monitoring, which I find a bit disconcerting. I still have issues with my bowel, such as needing to go to the toilet frequently due to reduced storage space. This means I always ensure I know where I can access toilet facilities throughout the day. 

How the patient experience needs to change

The most challenging part of my journey was post-treatment, where I suffered from PTSD-like symptoms. During treatment, I had to keep going, fighting through the pain and discomfort. This is where I believe more support is needed. 

My message to others is to improve the pathways from early diagnosis to speedy treatment. Early detection and prompt treatment are crucial in the fight against cancer. My story is a testament to resilience and hope, showing that with determination and support, life after cancer is possible.” 

Our work to make the changes our community needs

We know stories like this are really important for spreading awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer and encouraging people to seek help. We’re hugely grateful to Paul for sharing his story with us. 

Like Paul, we agree that we need to make more progress on early diagnosis and make sure bowel cancer patients are being diagnosed at the earlier stages when the disease is much easier to treat. With the Government currently developing a National Cancer Plan, we have a once in a decade opportunity to push for the improvements we need to see.  

We’re working with the Government to make sure their new plan addresses the barriers to early diagnosis of bowel cancer in England. Our submission to their consultation on developing the National Cancer Plan is in-progress and we’re so grateful for the patient voices who have fed into this already. 

You can keep up to date with this work and help us make it a success by becoming a Bowel Cancer UK campaigner. Join #TeamBowelCancerUK today.