RW talks to Ray Hadley on Prof. Bolin

Wednesday 2 March 2022

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

terry, talk, bowel cancer, colonoscopy, man, spoke, cancerous, specialist, doctor, gp, blood tests, bowel, fred hollows, message, walker, conversation, unsung hero, remember, acquainted, professor

Ray Hadley:  

I mentioned earlier this week the passing of Prof.  Terry Bolin OAM.  I would get a call from Prof Bolin at least twice a year saying mate we need another yarn about GUT Health, about Bowel Cancer, we’ve got to get these blokes, you know, get to their GPS and their specialist. And the reason I spoke about Terry is he passed away on the 24th of February the age of 86. He was the founder of the GUT Foundation, and of course, just a fantastic man. He passed away peacefully in Sydney on the 24th of February. More than 40 years ago, Terry and a group of gastroenterologist formed the GUT Foundation to promote greater public awareness and GP education of gut issues, disseminating evidence based information about the gut conduct and support relevant research and make representation to government at all levels in relation to gut health issues. Now, for this very day, the Foundation continues in all those roles substantially due to Terry's untiring efforts and the way he was able to advocate to the government. He's a leading authority and was a leading authority in that. We're talking about bowel cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, celiac disease, and so I guess, endometriosis, many other disorders in the community. And he's gone, but the work of the GUT Foundation will continue on. I often talk on health issues to Dr. Ross Walker, who hosts ‘Healthy Living’ on a Sunday night on both 2GB and 4BC. And I've asked him to come on the program, Dr. Walker to pay tribute to his colleague. He is here now. Good day mate.

Dr Ross Walker:

G’day Ray lovely to talk to you mate. But it's very sad for all of us in The GUT Foundation. I’m a member of The GUT Foundation and and it's such an important topic. And Terry was just one of those legends He in fact, when I was a young medical student, he was one of my teachers. And I've maintained a wonderful friendship with Terry over the years and the things he's done for me, it's just extraordinary.

Ray Hadley:  

When I first had contact with him, it was via Singo. And Singo says Professor Bolin rung me and wants to talk to you. And I say, well, that's fine. Tell him to give me a ring. And then as we became acquainted, he’d then make the call himself. And he say, mate, I've got to come on the program and talk about this. And he said, You’ve got to keep pushing this thing about men's health, particularly about bowel cancer, you got to get the message out. And the number of times other conversations I had with Terry from blokes who would say, Well, you wouldn't believe it. After hearing that I went to the doctor, he said, you might need to, you know, have a problem, you need to go and see a specialist. They go to the specialist. And woe betide me they'd have, you know, polyps and and some of them cancerous and it was always a message if I hadn't gone now and I left it for 12 months, I might not be here. Thanks to Professor Bolin for telling me to get and get it done. And that's the message we've got to continue along with no doubt. 

Dr Ross Walker:

Absolutely. And you think about the the 1000s of people who've been saved by the tireless work of this man.  At a personal level my father died of bowel cancer at age 73. I've had four colonoscopies and will continue to have them for the rest of my life. And it's such an important topic to encourage people to have the bowel checks. 

Ray Hadley:  

Well over 21 years, I've now had 7, because every three years I go and see Dr. Dev, and he says yet we found a couple more. So you're back in three years. And that's been you know, I'm now 67. So what's that since I was in my mid 40s. And you know, then I've also spoken, I remember the conversation with a bloke I knew quite well. And he'd heard the conversation I had. And he said, I went to the GP who said, yeah, things aren't looking too good there, you better get to a specialist went to the specialist. And when he came out of the colonoscopy, the doctor was at the end of the bed, and he said, who told you to come and get this done? And he said, a mate of mine had a couple done and I heard him talking to a Professor on the radio. And he said, well, you want to go and thank both of them. I found a polyp here that's on the way to turn. He said, If you had been here in six months, we'd have a major problem - a major major problem - it was about to turn cancerous and we've got to it just in time, you'll need to have a couple of checkups and things like that. But that was one of many fellas that I spoke to blokes and I knew him, Steve, but there were other people I didn't know.  They'd write to me and say, thanks to Terry, I've gone had this done, and I'm still here because of him. 

Dr Ross Walker:

Absolutely. Ray. And the point is, you you have been cured from your bowel cancer risk because you you would responsibly go off and have your regular colonoscopies and but for people who don't have a high risk for bowel cancer, like yourself or myself, just having the the fecal occult blood test, the bowel screening test is so important. And these are the messages that Terry started years ago. 

Ray Hadley:

Well, it's not always a colonoscopy, as you say. I mean, it's it's prostate cancer, looking at one thing is blood tests looking another thing but it's a general rule, Doc, as you now advocate particularly with men out in the bush at the moment, and we're confronting floods and a whole range of other things that you know, divert their attention. But you got to go and see your GP. Heart health, you and I spoke about that, you know, the health in relation to melanoma, we spoke about that, this week with specialists and we're making great advances there. And bowel cancer, we've got to talk about that and talk about getting the test and getting the check the cholesterol. Check all those things and, and, and the doctor then guides you through it and says, well, you need to stop doing this and start doing that and a whole range of other things in detail at work now. Just on a personal level. They tell me the professor had a great love of Burma now. Myanmar, what was that all about? With that start? 

Dr Ross Walker:

Terry has just done so many other things. He's an unsung hero, this man. He used to help train the Barefoot doctors in Myanmar. He used to take pharmaceutical drugs over to Myanmar for people. He's just done so many,  he even interestingly, in the 1980s he led this big campaign to get the Fred Hollows Reserve established in Randwick - he’s just had so many his fingers in so many pies. But also you knew him. He was a good friend of mine. He was just a beautiful, beautiful human being that did what all of us should be doing which is serving other people. He was just a great servant to this country somebody we should always remember. 

Ray Hadley:

Well, conversations I had with him will fall to you because you are now the President The Gut Foundation. And obviously when you need to have a yarn as Terry did, we'll have a yarn to remind people Alright mate. Look after yourself.

Dr Ross Walker:

Lovely to talk to you, man, thanks very lovely to talk to you, man. 

Ray Hadley:

Thanks very much. That's Dr. Ross Walker, ‘Healthy Living’ presented by Dr. Walker on a Sunday night on both 2GB and 4BC. A good man and a man that we should listen to giving advice about what you should do with your own health.