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Funds for cancer research

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howlie | 11:24 Thu 04th Oct 2007 | Body & Soul
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Okay, I know I'll probably be slaughtered for this one, but here goes:
Last night on QVC they were raising money for Breast Cancer Care - fabulous, money is needed no problem. But.. what about the less well known cancers? Okay not as many people may get it a year or even die from it but shouldn't there be just as much research and support? And, yes I do have a less well known cancer.
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I do actually agree thats why I will always give my money to McMillan that will cover all cancer. I think its just because its Breast cancer awareness week or something
oh Howlie,
I was thinking that too. Why not just Cancer Awareness. Full Stop.
Would you mind if I asked which cancer you have? please...
xxx

There are inumerable charities in this country. To give to some is to deny the rest.

I do not give to any.

I made a donation to the hospice where mum in law died though.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month so it will be campaigned for a lot over the next few weeks. I give to MacMillan as well,I shop in their local charity shop often and donate all my unwanted goods to them too. I am happy to give to any cancer charity if I see a collector around. My sister had cancer of the urethra a few years ago and has just had the bad news that it is back,I never even knew that this cancer existed until she got it.
To be honest I'm always dubious of any well known charity for 2 reasons:

1. How much of the money donated actually finds its way there

2. A lot of the charities we fund should be government funded

I would rather do my little bit locally and I know that all of the money goes directly to them
It's a tricky one.

Breast and prostate cancer are the most popular (for want of a better word) cancers and have excellent treament rates too if caught in time so naturally people have to be aware of them.

Some of the lesser known head and neck cancers are much more diffcult to spot and symptons can be mistaken for other illnesses. The same with cancers of the bowel, pancreas etc... In fact, some of these cancers are only 'discovered' on a person because they have come in for a different operation ro procedure.

As far as I'm aware the funds go to researching cancer and trials etc.. in general. It's not just a case of breast and prostate cancer getting all the money. (If anyone else knows differently I'm happy to be corrected).
Lies, damned lies and statistics aside, breast cancer is the cancer that more people are likely to be diagnosed with than any other.
Howlie.

First and foremost i hope you are coping well and getting the appropriate treatment for your cancer.

I think that cancers that are more high profile ie more people dying would get more research.

There are a lot of common cancers that are treatable so they would'nt need to research these as much i think.

You can look at it in a number of ways can't you?

It's one of the most common cancers so money is spead thinner and being used to help more people.

The ethical issues over this sort of thing are legion.

Why should the RSPCA and other animal charities be supported whilst there is so much human suffering?

I guess charitable giving is an emotional and not a logical thing. The WWF logo is a panda not an endangered spider for a good reason

Hence the people above who only give to charities they have personal experience of and hence an emotional attachment
I give to McMillan because I know of some great things they have done with money like a day centre my nan used to go to for which if it wasnt for that I wouldnt have loads of cr@p ornaments :-)
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Beryllium - I don't mind, I have thyroid cancer. Didn't even know you could get cancer there. When diagnosed GP said I was the only case they had ever had in their Surgery (6 docs - big practice).

I am not disputing that breast cancer is probably the main one women get and the funds raised and the research done is essential. All I am saying is that because mine is less well known I do not have as much support (any in fact) as the better known ones.

Although the Mcmillan nurse at Barts was fabulous, but the office is only open 3 days a week from about 10-4.
http://www.thyca.org/

http://listserv.acor.org/archives/thyroid-onc. html

I'm not sure if those ^^^ will be any help. I hope they are.
The funds are for research into the causes and cures for vaious cancers, apart from the McMillan charity, which is to fund Palliative care for the terminally ill.
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Hi Laurence,
Yes thanks, as treatment for this goes!! The main thing is surgery to remove the thyroid - done in two operations. Then they found it in my lymph nodes - another operation!! That left me with a fabulous scar going literally from ear to ear, frankenstein has nothing on me lol.

In between these ops I had two doses of radioactive iodine treatment, taken as a tablet. You have to go into isolation for 3 days (you glow like the old readybrek adverts lol) and feel sick for a month afterwards. Unfortunately, this won't work for me anymore so I am now just being monitered.
Actually the most common one is lung cancer. About 22% of all cancer related deaths are lung cancer. Colorectal 2nd, and breast 3rd.

I suspect that a fundraiser for lung cancer would raise eyebrows as it is seen to be caused, in the main, by smoking.

As regards any particular cancer, I suspect that raising money for Breats Cancer is representative of the demographics of the viewing public for the channel. More women will be watching and will respond to the call. It is effectively playing on the heart strings of its target audience by focussing on the one cancer that they may fear the most.
Octavius � might be what most people die of, but more people get breast cancer than lung cancer.
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Thanks for those sites China Doll, I shall have a browse later.

Thanks all for your thoughts. x
Lots of focus on breast cancer here.

Did you know that if all men lived to the age of 80 you'd all more than likely get prostate cancer? And men can get breast cancer too. That's not as well known as it should be.

Lung cancer is generally linked to smoking so I would say that this actually highlighted as part of the stop smoking campaignes.

Bowel cancer is also on the increase.

I think the crux of it all is that breast and prostate cancers are the cancers people are most likely to get. Hence it is drilled in to people about looking for the symptons.

Bowel cancers, pancreatic cancers, head and neck cancers are just not always so easy to spot and the symptons can be confused. That's not to say people aren't aware of them.

It's a bit like the meningitis (sp) thing... we all know what to look for in the viral stages but we probably don't know as much about the baccterial version which is also pretty serious. (Actually thinking about that I'm not sure if I've got that the right way round but I'm guessing most will know what I mean).
antiguru, the point you have made, that more people survive after being diagnosed with breast cancer than do with lung cancer does not detract from the facts in my original point. Merely enforces them.
All I can send you is a smile Howlie :) xxx

CD... thanks for those links... I'm currently being treated for Oesophageal ulcers lol.... will I go for further tests? no. I don't want to know.

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