A Polyjohn portaloo was turned into an eye-catching display piece by street artist Jason Yikes, designed to inspire conversations about gut health, and is partway through its 12-month journey around the country.
It was on display in Invercargill last week.
The Gut Foundation general manager Margaret Fitzgerald was travelling with the display, and said a recent tour around the South Island by the foundation was intended to uncover people’s journeys to diagnosis for gut diseases, such as coeliac, Crohn’s disease, bowel cancer and others.
"What we found was people didn’t really like to talk about it. They didn’t know what symptoms might be and then they didn’t like to go to the doctor and talk about their poo."
According to statistics from the Gut Foundation, up to nine people in New Zealand are diagnosed every day with bowel cancer, which is very treatable if detected early.
- Ben Tomsett
