A Southampton dad who discovered he'd inherited a condition that significantly raises his risk of developing bowel cancer is staying one step ahead of the disease thanks to a new website. 

Steve Tejada’s dad and grandmother both faced bowel cancer several times, prompting doctors to test Steve for Lynch Syndrome, which means he has around a 70 per cent chance of being diagnosed in future. 

People like 53-year-old Steve, from Woolston, who has already been treated for prostate cancer and skin cancer, are now being helped by the website Lynch Choices, offering information, advice and real-life patient experiences.

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It was developed by researchers from The University of Southampton with funding from Cancer Research UK. 

Steve, who found out he had Lynch syndrome when he was 27, said: "When I mentioned Lynch syndrome nobody really knew about it, even GPs, but it’s really important for me and my family members to have a website like this to understand how it can impact us and what steps we can take to reduce our cancer risk."

Steve is now backing a Cancer Research UK drive to help save more lives from bowel cancer – the UK’s second most common cause of cancer death.

He’s urging people to donate monthly to help fund more life-saving research and information like Lynch Choices.

Steve added: "I feel lucky that I found out young that my cancer risk is higher because a lot of people don’t have that knowledge when they get cancer. It’s enabled me to have regular screening and to help me plan for the future.

"Both my nan and my dad had bowel cancer multiple times and it was Professor Diana Eccles, a consultant geneticist at University Hospital Southampton and main investigator for Lynch Choices, who spotted that it might be genetic.

“I don’t yet know if my children have inherited Lynch syndrome but I will certainly be directing them to the Lynch Choices website to help them in their own decision making especially when they’re planning for their own families."

Donate at cruk.org/donate