Speaker Evening

On Thursday 14th July the Rotary Club of South Queensferry welcomed Dorothy Byres as speaker for the evening. With a background in health care, including 24 years as a dental nurse at a university in Hong Kong, Dorothy was diagnosed with bowel cancer at the age of fifty-two. Now completely recovered, she is active as an awareness volunteer for Bowel Cancer UK, giving talks and spreading information about a disease that is the third most common cancer in Scotland and still very much a taboo subject. Dorothy described the most common symptoms of the condition, which occurs most frequently, but not exclusively, in older age groups and urged people to use the testing kits which are regularly sent to those over fifty. A new, easier-to-use kit is currently being introduced. There are no guarantees: family history can be a significant factor, but the risk of bowel cancer can be reduced by healthy diet and life style - reducing intake of processed and red meat and increasing the quantity of vegetables, fruit, pasta and fibre. If diagnosed early, bowel cancer is one of the most treatable of all cancers, however it does not always show the typical symptoms of blood traces and weight loss which make it vitally important to take part in the testing programme. Men are particularly prone to ignore the tests which might well save their lives. Dorothy encouraged her audience to consider their eating and drinking pattern and consider what changes could be made to make it more healthy.To find out more about bowel cancer, visit www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk

Dorothy Byers was introduced by David Batty. Norman Watson proposed the vote of thanks.