People are being urged not to delay contacting their GP about concerning symptoms of bowel cancer. Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer, with more than 16,000 people dying from the disease every year, but is treatable and curable, especially if diagnosed early. Nearly everyone survives bowel cancer if diagnosed at the earliest stage; however, this drops significantly as the disease develops. It is more common in the over-50s but it can affect people of all ages. Speaking in Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, Dr Arun Thimmiah, local GP and GP lead for cancer at Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “Around 42,000 new cases of bowel cancer are detected in the UK each year. It’s shocking that around half of adults living in the UK (42 per cent) are not aware of any symptoms of bowel cancer and yet it is the UK’s second biggest killer. If you notice any symptoms of bowel cancer such as persistent blood in your poo, persistent change in bow
AN 81-YEAR-old grandma was one of the first people to receive the Covid-19 vaccine at Millom’s Waterloo House GP Surgery. Marion Johnson, who has lived in Millom for most of her life, said she was delighted to receive the jab and hopes to be reunited with her family soon. She said: “I was quite surprised to find out that I would be getting the vaccine so quickly and very glad to find out that it was being delivered in Millom. “It was all very well organised and everyone was very cheerful. “There were also a lot of volunteers there and it was amazing to see how many of them were outside helping, despite the awful weather.
VACCINE: New jab on the scene December started off positively with the rollout of a Covid-19 vaccine. The first patient in Cumbria to receive it was 80-year-old Agnes Hardy, from Kells in Whitehaven, closely followed by Pat Lumb, 84 in Barrow. By the end of the month, with infection rates rising, news broke that the new and more contagious variant of the virus had reached Cumbria.
HOPE: Walney resident Pat Lumb gets her first Covid-19 shot from Dr Arun Thimmiah In other news, forecasters announced a cold snap over the festive period with predictions Cumbria could have a White Christmas. Jeremy and Mandy Voakes, of Cark-in-Cartmel, certainly had the Christmas spirit.