Hello all,

To celebrate my Mum being given the 5 year 'all clear' (Hooray!!) I have set myself a personal challenge of raising £500 for Breast Cancer Care this year.  That's only 500 people giving £1 each. :o)

My first event was a baby clothes sale where I raised £20 on entrance fees.  My second event was 'The Great Top Swap' which raised £25.79 on the night and has left me with a variety of tops to ebay towards my total.  Another top swap will be held on Saturday 9th April 2011.

I will be doing different events through the year to raise money.  If you would like to donate through my page you can do so. 

Or maybe you'd like to support me at the events I organise through the year. 

More information coming soon.

Many thanks,

Cath

 

The facts:

• the biggest risk factor, after gender, is increasing age – 80% of breast cancers occur in women over the age of 50
• more people are being diagnosed with breast cancer but survival rates are improving – probably as a result of improved treatment and earlier detection
• breast cancer also affects men, but it is rare – around 300 men are diagnosed each year.

 

The stats:

• nearly 46,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK. That’s one person every 11 minutes
• just over 12,000 people die from breast cancer in the UK every year
• breast cancer is the second biggest cause of death from cancer for women in the UK, after lung cancer
• there are an estimated 550,000 people living in the UK today who have had a diagnosis of breast cancer
• in women under the age of 35, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer.

 

The fiction:

• Five years past diagnosis means I’ve got the ‘all clear’. As well as potentially experiencing long-term side effects of treatment, patients face the uncertainty that their cancer could return at any time – including a diagnosis of secondary breast cancer which can’t be cured, only controlled.
• Stress causes breast cancer. Despite numerous studies, no definitive link between stress and breast cancer has been found.
• Breast cancer is mainly a hereditary disease. Breast cancer can run in families, but fewer than 10% of cases are as a result of an inherited faulty gene.