The Bottom Line Podcast

Flamboyant and infectiously positive, Sooz has always tried to find a “glimmer” in every day since she was a little girl.  Not even a stage 4 bowel cancer diagnosis has extinguished her bubbly personality. That doesn’t mean there are not moments that are hard, but as she explains, she chooses to view everything with a positive filter.

Sooz talks about how (despite being health literate) she was shocked by her diagnosis. 'I just put my stomach pains down to gastro as a result of a recent trip to France, where I consumed good rose and French cheese', and how you must advocate for your own health.

Sooz also chats about the importance of community and how her tribe, 'Soozies Floozies' have helped her navigate her cancer treatment.

Bold in everything she does, Sooz is a breath of fresh air and this chat is a must listen.

We know bowel cancer is the deadliest cancer for people 25-44 and Australia has the highest rates of early-onset bowel cancer in the world, but we don’t know why.

On this episode Associate Professor Daniel Buchanan discusses the importance of funding bowel cancer research, his Angel Study and why he is excited about bowel cancer research.

“In my lifetime we can do something to prevent it. . . Cancer is a complex disease and there is much we don’t know but the exciting part is we know the mechanisms for the development of bowel cancer and how to intercept it. We just need to work on who gets that interception.”

On this episode, celebrity chef and author Justine Schofield opens up about the death of her best friend Beth to bowel cancer aged just 38.

Justine talks about the joy of female friendship, her shared love of food with Beth and how the loss of her lifelong friend at such a young age has impacted her and their close-knit group.

“There is something so very special and effortless about a female friendship and I hit the jackpot with Beth. She was always so optimistic and right to the very end she never gave up hope.”

Keeping Beth’s memory alive, Justine is determined in raising awareness of bowel cancer and the red flag signs and symptoms to ensure Beth is never forgotten.

A heartwarming and honest chat about friendship, food and lasting memories.

This New Year make exercise a priority, no matter how big or small. The benefits of exercise are well documented when going through a cancer diagnosis and in this episode of The Bottom Line Podcast, Bowel Care Exercise Physiologist Kailey provides tips and tricks to help keep you motivated throughout the bowel cancer journey.

Joining Kailey on the podcast, bowel cancer patient Jon shares his lived experience and discusses how exercise empowered him to take control of his diagnosis and the positive impacts on his mental wellbeing.

“Being able to exercise gave me a sense a sense of control back ……and the benefits were not just physical; the mental health benefits have also been enormous.” – Jon.

A long-time bowel cancer advocate, Jodie’s delayed diagnosis was 'explained away' as female related issues, pregnancy and being a young Mum. 

It wasn’t until she advocated for herself that she finally got the answer to her ongoing symptoms – Stage 3 bowel cancer.

'Self-advocacy is my big message - if something doesn’t feel right, look right and you’re not happy with the responses you're receiving, you need to find another option.'

For avid runner, Brendan, looking after his mental health and body through running was a daily routine.

But when he was struggling to complete his normal running regime and feeling tired and exhausted, he decided to see a GP.

After being turned away twice and told it was nothing to be concerned about, Brendan listened to his body and sought a second opinion and was diagnosed with stage 2 bowel cancer aged 38.

Diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer and HER2 gene mutation at 35, Pei, (a GP registrar) chats with Stephanie regarding the importance of GP’s treating the patient in front of them without age bias. 

Pei talks about her realistic and pragmatic approach to living her life with a terminal illness and how her love of the outdoors keeps her focused on the 'now'.

'I live my life in 9-week cycles – scan to scan – but I am always trying to focus on making the most of the present.'

Pei’s dual role as both patient and health professional provides a unique perspective.

TV writer and director, Darren Ashton, discusses with Stephanie how his stage 3 bowel cancer diagnosis informed the tone of the hit ABC show, 'Austin'.

'When you're knocking on deaths door, you think about the important things. I wanted to put something joyous into the world and this is why “Austin” became a positive show.'

In this frank chat Darren talks about the importance of a good support network and the benefit of shared experience and how connecting with others going through a similar experience can help you navigate the big C.

Palliative Care doctor and author of, 'With the End in Mind', Kathryn Mannix demystifies the often uncomfortable topic of death and dying.

Chatting with Stephanie, Kathryn reminds us that we often fear death because of the unknown; that death is not what is portrayed in Hollywood movies and that we have forgotten about the process of 'ordinary dying'.

Drawing on her decades of experience, Kathryn provides practical tips as well as some tools to be able to navigate the process of death and dying.

On this episode, Dr Sarah Chu and early-onset bowel cancer survivor Vanessa Mendico discuss the importance of age not being a barrier to a bowel cancer diagnosis.

To address perceived age bias as outlined in recent research, Bowel Cancer Australia has launched a new resource, the Never2Young CPD series.

Featuring virtual clinics, these educational modules are aimed at helping GP’s identify bowel cancer red flag signs and symptoms in younger patients and assist with the diagnosis and referral pathway.

Dr Sarah Chu talks about the importance of GP’s having a good relationship and listening to their patients and knowing them when they are well.

“As GP’s we care about people.  We want to make a difference. We want a patient’s health span to match their life span with the best quality of life.”