A Cuppa with Nick Lee, Founder and Chairman of The Jodi Lee foundation, Corporate health expert, co-director and partner of Healthy Minds.

THIS EPISODE MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE………BOWEL CANCER…..

Now that I have your attention, once considered an old persons disease, there is an alarming increase in both diagnosis and death in younger people.  Here are some frightening  statistics:

1.        Bowel Cancer is now the #1 death by cancer of 25-30 year olds

2.       This is up from #9, 40 years ago.

3.       Now the 4th most common cancer, there has been an 11% increase in under 50’s 

My guest on this episode of ‘A Cuppa with The Con Versationalist’ is Nick Lee, Chairman of The Jodi Lee foundation,  corporate health expert and co-director and partner of Healthy Minds.            

 

With a beautiful family and working as a director of multi-national consumer goods company, Nick Lee had good reason to be happy and optimistic about his future. That changed in an instant when his wife Jodi was diagnosed with stage IV bowel cancer at the age of 39. After battling with the disease for 2 years, Jodi passed away in 2010. 

 

We all face critical hurdles in our lives, but when we do it is how we react that determines our future health and happiness. After Jodi’s death Nick made the brave decision to leave his job and use his experience to do all he could to stop others suffering a similar experience. He established The Jodi Lee Foundation to inspire others to protect themselves against bowel cancer and make positive choices to improve their health. The work of the Foundation has saved many Australian lives. 

 

Nick was a 2015 SA Australian of the Year finalist, and was awarded the 2013 Social Entrepreneur of the Year (Central Region) by Ernst and Young. In 2022 Nick was awarded The Medal of the Order of Australia. Nick receives this recognition for his service to the community through the not-for-profit sector (Jodi Lee Foundation) and commitment to raising awareness for the early detection and prevention of bowel cancer. 

During this eye opening and captivating interview, 

·         Nick shared his story.

·         What were the symptoms and what you should be looking out for.

·         Was there a delay in diagnosis and is there an ‘age barrier’ to diagnosis?

·         The dramatic increase in cases and deaths in under 50’s  and even more alarmingly, under 30’s

·         The valuable work of the foundation through research, education and support.

·         There is a 99% survival rate if there is early detection.

·         The importance of screening and questioning your doctor.

 

For more information about the life saving work the Jodie Lee Foundation do, head to their website at https://jodileefoundation.org.au/