Young Healthy Dad Ben Lists The Three Symptoms EVERY Aussie Should Look Out For – After He Was Handed A Devastating Diagnosis At Just 34 Brutal

Ben Duffin was enjoying a normal, healthy life with his young family, completely unaware that an unexpected diagnosis was about to upend everything.

The doting dad’s world came to a halt when he was given gut-wrenching news he had bowel cancer at 34 – despite having no family history or serious symptoms.

‘When diagnosed I was just living a normal life and have always been healthy and active,’ Ben, from Sydneytold Daily Mail.

‘As a dad of a young family, the worst part was watching the effect of everything on my wife. She did an amazing job, but the emotional toll on top of basically solo parenting for six months was brutal.

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‘The first few weeks following diagnosis were the worst, processing the shock, all the stigma, telling friends and family and waiting for further scan and test results.’

Before his diagnosis, the creative director of McCrindle Research began experiencing blood in his stools, along with increased gassiness and bloating.

‘I have no family history and genetic testing after my diagnosis showed nothing to indicate that,’ he explained.

When he saw a GP, he was told it was ‘highly unlikely’ for someone his age to develop bowel cancer after tests showed ‘nothing abnormal’, as the average age of diagnosis is 69.

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After being referred to a gastroenterologist for a colonoscopy, the dad was diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer on August 8 of this year.

‘This is no longer an old person’s disease,’ Ben said.

Scans found a 6cm tumour around he intersection of his rectum and colon.

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‘Thankfully, it didn’t spread but it had penetrated the wall of the bowel,’ the dad said.

‘I was told by multiple doctors that I was fortunate I got it checked out early, but honestly I could have acted sooner.

‘Obviously I’m very glad I acted when I did though as otherwise it could have easily spread to lymph nodes or other parts of my body.’

Ben underwent eight rounds of chemotherapy, followed by chemoradiotherapy.

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‘Treatment itself was tough but manageable,’ he said.

‘All my doctors and medical staff were fantastic and felt very privileged to live in Australia and receive the level of care I did, but also to benefit from all the advances in modern medicine over the last few decades.’

Four months on, Ben said that while there’s no sign of his cancer returning, he’s now closely monitoring his symptoms.

‘If any signs are detected I’ll likely go straight to surgery,’ he said.

‘As of this month, I’m doing well generally, it takes a while to process everything mentally and still have very mild symptoms of peripheral neuropathy as a result of the chemotherapy.

‘But I’m very grateful overall for the excellent care I’ve received from medical professionals, friends and family alike.’

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In Australia, free bowel cancer screening tests are available from the age of 45. However, Ben said tests should also be accessible to younger people.

‘Health checks in general are such a small inconvenience compared to the benefits of finding things like this early,’ he said.

‘I know the government has lowered the age for the free screening test kit to 45, but this really should be lowered to 35 at least.’

By sharing his story, he hopes to encourage younger people to get checked, regardless of how minor their symptoms may be.

‘Don’t hesitate to get anything unusual checked out,’ Ben said.

‘Bowel cancer rates in young people are up 240 per cent – I even had a friend receive the same diagnosis as me this year at the same age of 34.

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‘While this is alarming, we have amazing cancer care here in Australia with medical advancements happening all the time that make treatment and recovery possible and bearable than ever.

‘For those wrestling with a diagnosis, the biggest tip I can give is to exercise. Regular exercise has been shown to reduce rates of recurrence by 40 per cent.

‘I had an amazing cancer-specialised personal trainer, which not only physically benefited me but helped give me agency in fighting the disease.’

Professor Viraj Kariyawasam, a Doctify-verified senior gastroenterologist and endoscopist from Sydney, said they are now seeing a ‘clear and concerning rise’ in bowel cancer diagnoses among people under 50.

In Australians aged 30 to 39, bowel cancer incidence has tripled since 2000, rising from around six to around 19 cases per 100,000 people.

‘This increase has been consistent over the past decade and is now one of the fastest growing cancer trends in younger Australians,’ Dr Kariyawasam told Daily Mail.

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‘While overall bowel cancer rates in older populations have stabilised or fallen due to screening, younger age groups are often being diagnosed later and at advanced stages.

‘While no single cause has been proven, strong associations exist with obesity, alcohol, smoking, high intake of highly processed food and red meat, and disruption to the gut microbiome.’

Dr Kariyawasam said bowel cancer symptoms are often ‘subtle at first’ and ‘easily dismissed’ as stress, diet issues, haemorrhoids or irritable bowel syndrome.

‘The most commonly missed signs include changes in bowel habits such as persistent diarrhoea or constipation, unexplained fatigue, abdominal pain, and rectal bleeding that is wrongly attributed to benign causes,’ he said.

‘As bowel cancer is still seen as a disease of older adults, both patients and clinicians can underestimate the significance of these early warning signs in younger people.

‘Any ongoing change in bowel habits lasting than two to three weeks should never be ignored. This includes persistent blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss, ongoing abdominal pain, unexplained anemia, or extreme fatigue.

‘These symptoms do not automatically mean cancer , but they always warrant medical investigation regardless of your age. Early assessment saves lives.’

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Dr Kariyawasam said young people need to trust their instincts and speak up if something doesn’t feel right.

‘Bowel cancer does not discriminate by age any ,’ he said.

‘Early detection dramatically improves survival, with than 90 percent of cases treatable when caught early. Knowing your family history and acting early on symptoms can be lifesaving.

‘Across all early-onset cancers, colorectal cancer remains the biggest cause of cancer-related death in younger adults. That is why these rising trends are so serious. It is not just a diagnostic issue, it is a survival issue.

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‘Earlier detection and earlier investigation of symptoms could save a significant number of young lives.’

Ben Duffin shared his story as part of Decembeard, a hair-raising campaign that challenges men to grow a beard in the final month of the year to raise awareness and much-needed funds for Bowel Cancer Australia.