Nathan Tynan is participating in Decembeard to raise awareness and money for bowel cancer.

"It took the love of my life," Mr Tynan said.

"Whatever I can do to help someone else not go through that, I'll do," he said.

Mr Tynan's partner Sasha Matthews was visiting her mother in Albury for Christmas when the disease was discovered in early 2010.

"New Years Eve I had to take her to hospital because the pains were too bad and three days later they diagnosed her with stage-four bowel cancer," Mr Tynan said.

"She had six months to live.

"It was too late to cure it, so it was just palliative care."

Mr Tynan moved to Albury from Brisbane to support her.

"She just kept on fighting and fighting," he said.

"At the end it just took too much out of her and she had nothing left to give.

"I was a mess. I just bawled my eyes out."

Since then, Mr Tynan has been participating in Decembeard so his partner's death was not in vain.

Decembeard is a bowel cancer fundraiser which encourages men to grow beards and women and children to make or fake a beard in the last month of the year.

Mr Tynan has so far raised half of his $750 target.

"I'm not very good at growing beards but I figured I'd give it a go and then people will have a laugh and it might get them more interested in it," Mr Tynan said.

"Everyone does the Movember thing now I thought it would just be follow on for that."

Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in Australia, taking 5,375 lives a year.

Fewer than 50 per cent of cases are found early, but 98 per cent of those are curable.

Mr Tynan wants to send a clear message.

"If you feel something's wrong, don't be embarrassed about it and make sure you get it checked out," he said.

"A lot of people are unaware that they might have it.

"They pass it off as something else, stomach pains, constipation or something like that, then by the time they actually get checked it's too late."

People can support Mr Tynan online.