"One in three"

There is very little that I could reasonably add to the (necessarily) chillingly matter of fact  promotionals for this October's "Stand Up To Cancer" campaign. The most current international research confirms that one in three of all of us will be affected by some form of cancer during our lives, regardless of sex, age or location. Picture yourself at church, in a shopping centre, at the cinema or on a train; anywhere you might be gathered with a hundred people or more and reconsider this statistic. Cancer decimated both my mother's and father's families and continues to sink it's disrespectful fingers into the lives of me and mine. I can't think of a more worthwhile post to add to this blog right now. Please click the link further down this page for information about the campaign, to visit the SU2C online shop and for ways to donate. 

Thanks x

ABOUT STAND UP TO CANCER

Channel 4 and Cancer Research UK have joined forces to launch Stand Up To Cancer in the UK.

We’re calling on the nation to join the brightest stars in entertainment, to work together to raise money to accelerate cancer research. So we can bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.

It’s a critical time. We have the knowhow to make rapid advances in the treatment and prevention of cancer. We just need more money. That’s where Stand Up To Cancer comes in, by raising funds to turn breakthroughs in the lab into breakthroughs in our hospitals.

Thanks to everyone who helped make last night's Stand Up To Cancer event such a success.

The total amount we've raised so far is £6,483,995! Thank you to everyone who's got involved and donated. But remember, if you haven't already it's not too late...

You can continue to Stand Up To Cancer by donating, fundraising, buying our merchandise, shouting your support from the highest mountain, or your nearest social network..

(Copyright SU2C)    

http://www.standuptocancer.org.uk

(Last night's fundraising event on Channel 4 may not have been been entirely my idea of entertainment, but it was incredibly moving and heartwarming. It was also lovely to see Leona Lewis perform Snow Patrol's anthem "Run" with The Big C Choir.

The choir have been together for only three months and many members had never previously sung in public. It's singers range from ten to eighty years of age; all thirty two members are currently, or have recently been, in treatment for cancer. Some had just been diagnosed when they joined the choir, some are now terminally ill, some are in remission.
The Big C Choir is the fifth choir to have been put together by the Welsh based charity "Tenovus". Originally started in 1943 by an initiative of ten Cardiff businessmen, Tenovus grew as a local charity responding to a variety of social needs and concerns. It was the charity's funding which enabled the development of Tamoxifen and Zoladex, now used worldwide to treat breast and prostate cancers respectively. Now a major cancer charity, Tenovus also runs a Freephone Cancer Support Line - 0808 808 1010. 
The Big C Choir was created especially for the Channel 4 programme "Sing For Your Life", one of the most inspiring pieces of TV I've watched in a long time. Pioneering research carried out by Tenovus has shown that singing is beneficial to the patients' state of mind, also appearing to reduce pain. Recent research on The Big C Choir indicates that the group's lung strength improved along with increased social function and mental health: singing on prescription please!)

http://www.tenovus.org.uk

"Run"  Leona Lewis and The Big C Choir

"May you be blessed in the holy names of all those
Who, without you knowing it,
Help to carry and lighten your pain."
(John O'Donohue)