Helston teacher Clair Day Brave the Shave fundraising: Bowel Cancer UK / Your Voice

With intensive chemotherapy causing increasing hair loss, Clair Day has taken the decision to go all out and shave her head, while raising as much money for charity as possible in the process.

It was in July this year that 47-year-old Clair, a food technology teacher at Helston Community College for the last 15 years, went to a routine endoscopy and colonoscopy to find out why she had been suffering from tummy pains for several weeks.

"Thinking that I had a stomach ulcer and all would be well, it was sadly confirmed that I actually had bowel cancer," said Clair.

"Fast forward two weeks and the diagnosis from a CT scan showed the worse; I had stage four terminal bowel cancer, and there were secondary cancers in my liver and peritoneum, possibly both breasts and many of my lymph nodes were affected too.

"I was told that I had six months to live and needed to start chemotherapy as soon as possible if I was to stand a fighting chance.

"I am currently on palliative care chemotherapy as I am deemed inoperable as it stands, with all of the tumours in my body. However, I am not accepting that and am determined to fight this awful disease for as long as I can for both myself and also my three children."

Clair, whose children are aged 16, 20 and 22, will be having her head shaved on November 5, by Lisa Torbett at Minnie's Hair Studio in Helston, who is a former pupil of hers.

She will be splitting the money between Bowel Cancer UK and Your Voice Helston, a charity supporting women's mental health.

Clair receiving treatment in hospital

"I will try to find the silver lining in things. If I can do something positive with it I will and that's where doing the fundraising comes in," she said.

Setting a target of £500, Clair has currently raised almost £3,800 – something she says has been "overwhelmed" by.

To donate to Bowel Cancer UK click here or visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com and search 'Clair Day', and to donate to Your Voice Cornwall visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/natasha-long-1

Clair added: "I feel that there needs to be more awareness and also more research into bowel cancer. Supposedly it can take ten to 15 years to get to stage four bowel cancer, yet I was unaware of the symptoms until it was too late.

"On reflection, there were a few symptoms that I shook off as nothing and if I had only been more aware my cancer could have been caught in the early stages and my prognosis would be a different story."

Symptoms she would encourage others to get checked include: "Any sort of tummy paint that you're unsure about, that maybe lingers a bit longer. Any change in bowel habit."

She was also severely anaemic, although being a woman this was initially put down to her monthly cycles. She did not have one of the most talked about symptoms, blood in stools, until a very late stage, by which point she was already booked in for a colonoscopy.

Mum of three Clair hopes to raise as much money as possible for charity

Clair said could not put into words how much she appreciated the support she has received, adding: "The amount of support I've had from my friends... I'm a single mum of three and the help I've had, I don't think I could thank them enough."

She has also received many messages from ex students, which she said had been "so touching".

With an initial prognosis of six months, Clair is due to find out how effective the chemotherapy has been, and whether the tumours will have shrunk enough for her to have surgery, shortly before her head shave.

She said: "I just take each day as it comes, to be honest. I think that's all you can do."