Fighting cancer with the help of George Clooney

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Fighting Cancer with a little help from George Clooney

30/04/2012 , 1:05 PM by Therese R-H

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Wendy Miller says she is a woman with a lot to live for, despite being diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of 35.

Jill Emberson wanted to meet the mum-of-two, who is a senior lecturer in education at Newcastle University, after she posted a photograph of herself with George Clooney - snapped at a Sydney restaurant.

Wendy says her battle with bowel cancer is something she faces each day but she has discovered that it's not a cancer that people are comfortable talking about.

"We are used to hearing stories about breast cancer and we love survival stories, there's lots of talk and awareness of lung cancer and yet we don't tend to do a lot of talking about bowel cancer," Wendy told Jill Emberson.

"In fact bowel cancer is actually the second highest form of cancer that's leading to death - second only to lung cancer, yet it receives the smallest amount of research funds and also not a great deal of media or social attention."

Wendy has promised to speak to Jill again as she continues to deals with her cancer but only after Jill pledged to take an early bowel screening test.

"Sorry to do that to you Jill - live on the radio - but that's how serious it is, people need to take the screening because it's early screening that has allowed the breast cancer foundation(for example) to do such amazing work.

"Not as many people are dying of breast cancer as they used to, we could change this for bowel cancer as well if we have the early screening."