SUPPORT

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with bowel cancer, we’re here to help

Facebook support groups for patients & whānau

Our Facebook groups provide a supportive environment for people affected by bowel cancer to talk through their journey with others going through similar experiences.

They are closed groups to ensure privacy, which means only members of the group can see posts. Whānau and carers are also welcome to join, but you must have a close family member undergoing treatment. We also have group rules and adminstrators to create a welcoming and safe atmosphere.

Our nurse Victoria also organises face-to-face catch-ups as she travels around the country. Keep an eye out in the Facebook support groups as to where and when these will be. They are a great opportunity to meet others who are local and show you are not alone in your journey. 

Bowel Cancer NZ

Virtual coffee group for patients

Our virtual ‘Bottom’s Up’ coffee group runs monthly and is for bowel cancer patients to connect with others walking the same path.

It’s a great place to have a chat, get some peer support, and ask our nurse questions as well. We would love you to register below for our next group. It’s all done online from the comfort of your own home, so all you need is to bring your own beverage.

Upcoming coffee groups:

Thursday 22th February 2024 @ 10.30am

Thursday 21st March 2024 @ 10.30am

 

Register Here

Once you’ve registered below, a Zoom link will be emailed to you the day before.

Contact our bowel cancer nurse support service

Our Nurse is currently on leave from Monday 29th Jan until Monday 5th Feb. All funding applications, emails and calls to our nurse will be returned from the 5th February.

Our registered nurse, Victoria Thompson, is available by phone on 0800 BCNZ NURSE (0800 226 968) or through our website chatbot Monday to Thursday 9am – 4pm and also by email. Our nurse will be able to answer questions about the effects of various treatments, explain bowel cancer terminology, and provide support, information and contacts for other services.

Please note: this service is for non-urgent enquiries: it’s not a medical advice service and shouldn’t be used for diagnosis or treatment without further consultation with your GP and/or health team. If you or a member of your whānau are feeling unwell, please contact your GP, free call Healthline on 0800 611 116 or in an emergency, call 111.

If you have a query, please check our About Bowel Cancer or Support sections first, where you’ll find information about all aspects of bowel cancer, including resources, recipes, a service directory and personal stories of other Kiwis affected by bowel cancer.

All emails to our nurse support service will be treated in the strictest confidence and are subject to our privacy policy.

Bowel Cancer NZ Support

Personal stories

I started needing to move my bowels several times a day and to the point of urgency...
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There is a history of bowel cancer in my family; my mother having died at 48 and my brother having died at 36 from it.
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I had noticed blood in my stool and went to doctor who referred me for colonoscopy, I had cancer, it had been there a while...
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I was by myself with the surgeon when I was diagnosed... my cancer was caused by a mutated gene...
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