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JAKE Hurst GP was shocked by the time to announce that the grade 12 student had bowel cancer.
The man of Mt Barker was 18 years old and focused on the most important year of his education, when he visited his doctor in 2014 to examine the symptoms.
"All tests and screenings came back negative, it was not until colonoscopy that we discovered that it was a bowel cancer," said Jake.
"The doctor was very shocked … he was crying when he told me, out of shock."
Instead of celebrating in schools, Jake underwent a month of radiation and chemotherapy, followed by a surgical operation to remove the tumor and part of its bowel.
Six months after Jake's diagnosis, his mother Louise learned that she had bad cancer. The mother and son kept their spirits up, but Hurst admits that the past few years have been tough.
Jake Hurst, now 22, was diagnosed with bowel cancer at age 18. His mother Louise was diagnosed with bad cancer just six months later. Image: Tricia Watkinson
"Oh, that was hard, very, very hard … If Jake has a good day, I'll probably have a bad day," Hurst said.
When asked what the future holds for them, she said, "We're getting there … I'm glad Jake is still living at home so I can watch him."
The early diagnosis of bowel cancer in Jake is reflected in two global studies that show an increase in the rate of bowel cancer in people under 50 years of age and recommend revising the guidelines for screening.
Executive Director of Bowel Cancer Australia, Julien Wiggins, said that given the increasing rate of bowel cancer among young Australians, "we may need to revisit the screening guidelines and consider lowering the starting age of 50 to 45 years, as currently recommended by the American Cancer Society.
He said that waiting time for a follow-up colonoscopy in the detection of bowel cancer was the "Achilles' heel of the screening process".
He hoped that the federal and regional governments would commit to the guarantee of delay and performance of the colonoscopy, which would guarantee a maximum waiting time of 120 days between the first presentation and a follow-up colonoscopy.
South Australia has the second highest time waiting for a colonoscopy with 184 days.
Since the election of the State of South Australia in March 2018, state government funds have reduced from 4100 to 3600 the number of South Australians expected to a colonoscopy.
In March, the Government of South Australia committed an additional $ 45 million over two years to continue the program.
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