North Melbourne’s Scott Thompson has opened up about the loss of his father to bowel cancer as part of Cancer Council Victoria’s #MakeMoreMemories campaign.

“It just shows that you’ve got to keep your family close and spend every possible moment with them,” Thompson said.

“It can happen to anyone. My dad was very fit – he went to the gym three times a week, went for a run every week and played tennis with all his mates. If he got his checks done, he could possibly still be here.

“You never know when [a family member is] going to pass away.”

Thompson, a Cancer Council ambassador, has encouraged footy fans to take the bowel cancer test.

“Bowel cancer is the second-most deadly cancer in Australia and I would urge everyone to get checked. It’s only a test at home,” says Thompson.

This season, AFL players such as Thompson, Jack Riewoldt and Sam Rowe have challenged footy fans to have the harder conversations with the men in their lives, to support Cancer Council Victoria’s #MakeMoreMemories campaign.

You can read about Jack Riewoldt’s battle with melanoma here.

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