A Moray pensioner who discovered she had bowel cancer only after completing an at-home test designed to catch it early has urged others to get checked out.
Lorna Milne, of Keith, found out she had the disease in February this year – a diagnosis the mother-of-two described as “devastating”.
The 70-year-old has now been given the all clear, but she said it was the early screening that saved her life.
Mrs Milne, who had no signs or symptoms, was sent to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin for a colonoscopy after receiving a positive result.
“The news was a massive shock. When you hear the word ‘cancer’, you don’t hear anything else,” she said.
“I thought for some reason I was immune from it, it had never crossed my mind as there’s not a strong history of cancer in my family.
“It was devastating.”
Mrs Milne underwent colon resection surgery in March, where part of her colon was removed.
From there, she underwent four cycles of chemotherapy to tackle the cancer in her lymph nodes.
She added: “I dread to think what would have happened if it had been left for a couple of years, or I’d not been screened.”
Statistics show that the likelihood of surviving bowel cancer is 14 times higher if detected at an early stage.
The home bowel screening test – offered to people aged 50 to 74 – remains the most effective way of catching the disease early.
Every year, 500,000 people in Scotland complete and return their bowel screening kits.
But although the figure is higher than ever before, the Scottish Government’s Detect Cancer Early campaign is targeting those who put off taking the test.
Mrs Milne admitted that the first time she received the bowel screening test, she did not rush to complete it.
It was only after being lectured by her sister, she made sure she returned every subsequent test.
She said: “I’d urge everyone who receives the test to do it, because it can save your life. It’s not something anyone enjoys doing, but once you’ve done it, it’s done.
“Apart from getting easily tired, I feel very well now. Although its not been the 70th year I’d planned.”
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “This campaign is focused on encouraging those who have dismissed taking the test or are putting off completing and returning it.
“We want everyone in Scotland to have the best chance of surviving cancer – and bowel cancer can often be cured, if it’s caught early.”