The Reality Of Cancer Related Poverty In 2018

On October 28, 2018   /   cancer awareness, cancer charities, Cancer Support, cancer survival, cancer treatment   /   9 Comments
The Reality Of Cancer Related Poverty In 2018

Poverty in the UK in 2018? Of course it exists, and appears to be on the increase from all the signs I see! The gap between rich and poor seems to be growing constantly now. That is a massive issue for us in this day and age, and is something I never believed I would still be seeing as an ageing man. This world is a harsh place when you have no money. I can speak from experience here. As a youngster my father moved out, and left my mother with massive debt. We had debt collectors constantly knocking on the door, and I had to leave school to start earning an income. I was lucky! That experience was positive for me, and I worked night and day after that

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Never Lose Faith Or Focus!

On October 14, 2018   /   cancer awareness, cancer charities, Cancer Support, cancer survival, cancer treatment   /   6 Comments
Never Lose Faith Or Focus!

It’s been a few weeks since I have written a new post, so this one will be packed with plenty of goodies for you to enjoy! Writing is probably the favourite part of my work, but I am being pulled more away from that, to do more practical tasks. There is only so much you can put out through your website and social-media until people want to meet you in ‘real life!’ My personal work has reached a crescendo, and I have just returned from speaking in Kuala Lumpur at the World Cancer Congress. Now I am back into face to face meetings for the next couple of weeks. But I am not complaining! Yes, it takes a massive effort to do all these things, especially the travelling and presentations.

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Raising Awareness Must Lead To Change!

On September 23, 2018   /   cancer awareness, cancer charities, Cancer Support, cancer survival, cancer treatment   /   6 Comments
Raising Awareness Must Lead To Change!

I am writing this piece after spending a very sociable evening with the team at Leukaemia Care and Quality Health. We were there to hear the latest patient statistics around blood cancers. After a few slides in, I felt a dramatic case of deja vu! It was as if my life had stood still for eleven years. Early diagnosis, emotional and financial support were the key findings. Exactly as they were when I was going through treatment in 2007. We were also talking about educating GPs to better recognise blood cancers, which I must admit worried me. Although there are some rare ones, I believe I can personally recognise most of the main signs myself!  ‘Raising awareness’ are the words I hear most when talking about cancer. From diagnosis, treatment,

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Why We Must Put Cancer On The Curriculum!

On September 9, 2018   /   cancer awareness, cancer charities, Cancer Support, cancer survival, cancer treatment   /   2 Comments
Why We Must Put Cancer On The Curriculum!

 As you may know it is Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month and I am delighted to feature a blog written by a young lady who wanted to tell us about her perspective and why she, like many of us believe that cancer should be a subject which is openly discussed during education. Obviously this is written from the female perspective but I believe it is important for all children to understand more about cancer, which has become the ‘modern day plague.’ “The results are in, and Eve Appeal-commissioned research has found that two thirds of parents want their children to receive a formal education regarding the signs and symptoms of cancer. The majority of participants believed that fostering open, informative conversations about cancer in the classroom could help combat associated stigmas

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A Cancer Conference That’s Fun?

On September 2, 2018   /   cancer awareness, Cancer Support, cancer survival, cancer treatment, Uncategorized   /   6 Comments
A Cancer Conference That's Fun?

Attending cancer conferences has become a big part of my life. Usually I am a speaker and rarely attend for the entire conference, but on other occasions I am there as a guest. Hours of watching very clever people reading from a PowerPoint presentation is not my idea of fun. There is only so long you can concentrate on that type of delivery, unless you are fully engaged in the subject. Senior management and clinicians are not always the best people to present as many lack any charisma, and struggle to do their subject justice. Of course cancer is a very difficult subject to talk about, and can be tricky to make it entertaining. I always feel that to make an impact, you really need a good spread of experience

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My Story Is All About Hope!

On August 26, 2018   /   cancer awareness, cancer charities, Cancer Support, cancer survival, cancer treatment   /   24 Comments
My Story Is All About Hope!

This year has been an incredible one for me personally. As the cancer support sector in the UK continues to be dominated by the same organisations, who have little to offer other than fundraising challenges, my focus has turned to the global issues of cancer. I have travelled to places where there is a real determination to improve the lives of people affected by cancer. This despite those countries having nothing like the resources we have, but key to that is the will to improve!  My story has become a beacon throughout the world, not only for the work I do, but for the hope I give. As most of you know, my health was so poor that I was given only six months to live, and now I am

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What Exactly Is The Role Of Cancer Research UK?

On August 5, 2018   /   cancer awareness, cancer charities, Cancer Support, cancer survival, cancer treatment   /   8 Comments
What Exactly Is The Role Of Cancer Research UK?

My post last week about the charity world received so much feedback and opened up many more questions! I was directed to the below piece about Cancer Research UK, the biggest cancer charity in the UK. Despite the name I have often wondered what they do and how they work, with such an incredibly large budget. I asked around and nobody was really clear. Then I was pointed to the article from Chris Woolams which I have featured below.  “Is it just me who thinks that Cancer Research UK is really just a Pharmaceutical company hiding under the pretext of being a cancer charity; a wolf in sheep’s clothing? When we interviewed the Chief Executive a few years back and asked him his aims he answered immediately, “To get more

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