Bowel cancer plea from dad-of-two diagnosed at 33

A farmer who was diagnosed with bowel cancer aged 33 has urged other young people to get symptoms of the disease checked out.

James Rogers, who runs a Christmas tree farm in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, was diagnosed in May 2025 after spotting signs on holiday.

He needed urgent surgery to remove a tumour and then underwent chemotherapy.

Rogers, who lives with his partner Ellie Henderson, 28, and their two daughters, aged eight and seven, said he knew something was wrong after spotting blood in his faeces.

"I was on a holiday, saw the blood, sort of panicked a little bit, and it then stopped," he said.

"But I thought 'I should go to the doctors about this'. I have seen blood before and always acted on it.

"The doctors did a blood test which was all fine - they were very adamant it wouldn't be cancer.

"But I also had the FIT test [faecal immunochemical test], which came back positive. I then learned I needed a colonoscopy."

The colonoscopy revealed a tumour next to two infected lymph nodes.

Rogers said he "didn't really feel anything" when diagnosed as he was in shock.

"I just felt emotionally numb to it. But once the reality kicked in, the anxiety sort of set in.

"Waiting for results was extremely scary because I didn't know whether the cancer was in other parts of my body.

"A month ago I had my first scan after my treatment and it came back all fine, thankfully."

Rogers, now 34, had seen a doctor two-and-a-half years earlier for similar symptoms, but a FIT test at that time came back negative.

"My surgeon said this time, 'Oh yeah, that might have been a bleeding polyp'," he said.

In some cases, polyps, which are growths in the bowel, can become cancerous.

"Who knows, but maybe if it had been removed at that point, then I wouldn't have had to go through this now?"

Rogers wants to raise awareness of bowel cancer, especially among younger people.

"A lot more young people are getting cancer now," he said.

"I just want to turn this negative situation into a positive by raising awareness about the symptoms."

Bowel Cancer UK has data showing a 52% rise in cases among adults aged 25-49 since the early 1990s.

Genevieve Edwards, the charity's chief executive, said: "We're incredibly grateful to James and Ellie for raising awareness.

"Although the disease is more common in the over-50s, there is a growing body of evidence globally that bowel cancer is increasing in younger people.

"As James's story shows, bowel cancer is treatable and curable, especially if diagnosed early."

She said people of any age should contact their GP to ask for a test if they are experiencing symptoms like "bleeding from your bottom, blood in your poo or a change in your pooing habits".

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