A mum of two from Didcot is looking to spread awareness after she was diagnosed with a rare form of bowel cancer.

Gemma Souch, aged 42, found out she had stage 4 cancer in December last year after initially showing no symptoms of the disease.

She went into hospital after suffering from abdominal pain during a work conference.

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Now her children, Freya, aged 20 and Zach aged 17, are running the Race for Life 10km run to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

If you would like to donate to Cancer Research UK, you can access the JustGiving page here.

They will be joined by Gemma’s parents, Janet aged 71 and Allen, aged 73 along with Freya’s 21-year-old boyfriend Jamie.

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Between them, the group has already raised nearly £4,000 for the charity.

Ms Souch said: “It is hard to put into words just how much what my children have done means to me.

“I had no idea they were going to do any of this, and I know they will go on to do more and more.

“I am super proud of them.”

Ms Souch, like Dame Deborah James, has been diagnosed with the BRAF mutation V600e.

This is an aggressive mutation and there is currently no cure for the disease.

More than 42,000 Britons are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year but only one in 10 have the type caused by BRAF V600E genetic mutation.

Ms Souch explained that the current prognosis for the condition is one to two years but she is currently undergoing a clinical trial at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford.

This is one of only 10 clinical trials being conducted worldwide to combat the BRAF V600E type of bowel cancer.

Dame Deborah James gained notoriety after she started a nationwide campaign for people to ‘check their poo.’

The former teacher started a blog under the name of ‘Bowelbabe’ and also was one of the hosts on the podcast ‘You Me and the Big C.’

Ms Souch said: “I want to continue raising awareness of bowel cancer and to check your poo.

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“There are many people, younger and younger, who are not showing symptoms of the disease until it is too late.

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“I would like the age of bowel cancer screening to be lowered.”

People over the age of 60 in the UK are eligible for free bowel cancer screening on the NHS.

Ms Souch added: “It is about reminding people that if you feel unwell do not ignore it but go and get it checked out.

“I know the NHS is stretched at the moment but we should all have the right to see the GP.”