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This article first appeared in The House of Wellness magazine.
After surviving bowel cancer, basketballer Alex Pledger is on a mission to get Kiwi men to move their butts this June.
Two years have passed since Kiwi basketballer Alex Pledger was diagnosed with bowel cancer, but memories of that day are still fresh in his mind.
“Hearing I had cancer was the hardest thing I’ve ever faced,” says the former Tall Black and Breakers star, who suffered from symptoms for five months before his diagnosis in March 2021.
At just 33 and in peak physical condition, he never imagined he’d be battling a life-threatening illness. “I remember going into shock when the doctor told me, because it was just so unexpected. I knew something was wrong, but I genuinely didn’t think people like me would get bowel cancer. I was playing professional basketball, I was young and fit, I’d never smoked and hardly drank. I really thought it was an older person’s thing. And even though I was saying to everyone, ‘I’ll beat this, I’ll be okay,’ on the inside I was scared. Your mind goes to some pretty dark places.”
Diagnosed with stage-three cancer, Alex, now 36, needed an initial five weeks of intensive radiotherapy and chemotherapy to shrink the tumour in his bowel, followed by surgery to remove it. Alex – who married his partner Bailee three weeks after this first treatment finished – then underwent another gruelling six months of chemotherapy. “By the end of chemo, I was sleeping 18 to 20 hours a day. I was like a zombie.”
Fortunately, the treatment was successful, and Alex was given the all clear. “I feel very, very lucky.”
Now, Alex and Bailee, 35, are participating in Bowel Cancer New Zealand’s annual Move Your Butt fundraising challenge. The campaign encourages all New Zealanders to move more in June, to increase awareness of bowel cancer and the importance of leading an active lifestyle, while also raising vital funds to support those affected by the disease.
Alex says greater awareness is vital. Although he was suffering telltale symptoms, including blood in his stool and abdominal pain, it wasn’t until he ended up in hospital with a significant bleed that his cancer was detected. “There is a lot of misinformation out there. Even a couple of GPs said I was too young for bowel cancer,” says Alex, who admits he initially put his symptoms down to stress. “If I hadn’t ended up in hospital, I would have been up sh*t creek, for lack of a better term. The doctors told me it was possible the cancer had been in my system for two years.”
Alex knows men can find it hard to ask for help, especially when it comes to certain parts of the body, but he urges people to put their embarrassment aside. Symptoms should never be ignored, he says.
“No one likes talking about that region of their body or their toileting habits, but for the sake of 10 minutes of feeling uncomfortable, you could save yourself months of treatment, or even your life. A bit of embarrassment is a lot better than what I have been through over the past few years, I can promise you.”
Alex says he’s living proof that bowel cancer can affect anyone. Now, as he prepares for the 2023 National Basketball League with the Southland Sharks, he says that although his cancer journey was the hardest thing he’s ever been through, it also taught him a huge amount.
“I really appreciate the little things more now,” he says. “Whether it’s going out for dinner with friends, having a swim in the sea, or taking the dog around the block, I don’t take anything for granted. Life can change so fast – it’s about being grateful that I’m here and healthy.”
The facts
New Zealand has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. More than 3000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year and more than 1200 will die from the disease. Symptoms can come and go, so see your GP if you have any of the following concerns, no matter what your age.
⦁ Bleeding from the bottom (rectal bleeding).
⦁ Change of bowel motions or habits that come and go over several weeks.
⦁ Anaemia (iron deficiency).
⦁ Severe, persistent or occasional abdominal pain.
⦁ A lump or mass in the abdomen.
⦁ Tiredness and loss of weight for no obvious reason.
Join Alex for Bowel Cancer New Zealand’s Move Your Butt campaign in June. Sign up at moveyourbutt.org.nz.
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