For avid runner, Brendan, looking after his mental health and body through running was a daily routine.

But when he was struggling to complete his normal running regime and feeling tired and exhausted, he decided to see a GP.

After being turned away twice and told it was nothing to be concerned about, Brendan listened to his body and sought a second opinion and was diagnosed with stage 2 bowel cancer aged 38.

Diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer and HER2 gene mutation at 35, Pei, (a GP registrar) chats with Stephanie regarding the importance of GP’s treating the patient in front of them without age bias.

Pei talks about her realistic and pragmatic approach to living her life with a terminal illness and how her love of the outdoors keeps her focused on the 'now'.

'I live my life in 9-week cycles – scan to scan – but I am always trying to focus on making the most of the present.'

Pei’s dual role as both patient and health professional provides a unique perspective.

TV writer and director, Darren Ashton, discusses with Stephanie how his stage 3 bowel cancer diagnosis informed the tone of the hit ABC show, 'Austin'.

'When you're knocking on deaths door, you think about the important things. I wanted to put something joyous into the world and this is why “Austin” became a positive show.'

In this frank chat Darren talks about the importance of a good support network and the benefit of shared experience and how connecting with others going through a similar experience can help you navigate the big C.