- Christmas Tombola
- The Big Give Christmas Challenge
- Afternoon tea at Floris
- Survey finds that most young women diagnosed with breast cancer are not given advice on fertility
Christmas Tombola
December is nearly upon us (how time flies!), and so here is a final reminder that our annual Christmas Tombola will be taking place just inside the entrance of the Royal Free Hospital on Wednesday 3 December 2014, from 10.00am to 4pm. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of local businesses and supporters, and prizes include a meal for two from Zara, cinema tickets from Everyman Cinema, photo sessions at Snappy Snaps, fish and chips from Oliver’s Fish and Chips, wine tasting at the Hampstead Butcher and Providore and much much more!
Alongside the Tombola, we will be running a stall selling small items, perfect for stocking fillers. There will also be a selection of Christmas cards to buy, Cancerkin t-shirts and plenty of mince pies! And, if that’s not enough, there will also be a (very well stocked!) second-hand book stall.
It’s also not too late to donate a gift! If you have any new items or second hand books you no longer want, you have until Monday 1 December. Simply bring the items into the Cancerkin Centre; we are open from 9.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday. If you have any queries, please contact Holly on h.lovering@cancerkin.org.uk or call 020 7830 2323.
We look forward to seeing you there for the start of the festive season!
The Big Give Christmas Challenge
On the 4, 5and 6December, online donations made to Cancerkin via The Big Give will be doubled.
The Big Give Christmas Challenge gives our supporters the opportunity to have any donation they make to Cancerkin doubled. Last year, we achieved our target of £10,000 and so we are pleased to let you know that we are taking part again this year.
The money raised from the Christmas Challenge will go towards our Breast Cancer Support Programme which provides a wide range of complementary therapies and exercise groups designed to tackle and alleviate the many side effects resulting from a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Please support us and help us continue to improve patient wellbeing during a very traumatic time.
The Big Give begins at 10am Thursday 4th December but the match funding runs out quickly. Please sign up your interest in giving this year by emailing h.lovering@cancerkin.org.uk and we will let you know the best time to donate to ensure your donation is doubled.
Afternoon tea at Floris
Last week, Floris kindly hosted afternoon tea at their historic shop in Jermyn Street to award the prizes of Floris products to the top three fundraisers at this year’s Hampstead Heath Walk – Philippa Drew, Brenda Freedman and John Cunningham. After tea, we were given the opportunity to look around the Floris museum of perfumes and artifacts collected since their founding. This included their order books, where the names of people such as Winston Churchill, Vivien Leigh and royalty could be seen. It was a fascinating and very enjoyable afternoon, and we thank Floris for their support and hospitality.
Survey finds that most young women diagnosed with breast cancer are not given advice on fertility
A survey conducted by Breast Cancer Care has found that most young women diagnosed with breast cancer are not offered fertility advice, even though treatment could leave them unable to have children.
Some breast cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, can affect the functioning of the ovaries or the quality of a woman’s eggs. This can stop the ovaries working for a while or bring on an early menopause. Therefore, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) fertility guidelines state that women should be offered appropriate procedures to preserve fertility if their cancer treatment may lead to infertility, as long they are well enough to have the procedures and this won’t worsen their condition.
Breast Cancer Care surveyed 176 women who were under the age of 45 and undergoing treatment for breast cancer. They found that 88% of these women were not offered the chance to see a fertility expert. By extrapolating this for the whole of the UK, Breast Cancer Care predicted that up to 5,000 younger women in the UK may not have had the opportunity to discuss fertility issues before their treatment. They also found that 60% of the women who participated in the survey were unaware that infertility is a real possibility when a woman goes through chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer.
The researchers also spoke to 50 breast cancer oncologists, surgeons and nurses. Of these, 35% did not tell their younger patients at diagnosis how treatment could affect their fertility. A third (30%) were also failing to adequately discuss fertility options with younger women so they can make informed decisions about their future fertility, while 26% reported they do not have a clear system in place to promptly direct patients to fertility clinics.
Samia al Qadhi, Chief Executive at Breast Cancer Care, said: “Our research shows that too many younger breast cancer patients are being denied the chance to preserve their fertility before they start cancer treatment. There are two clear reasons for this: many healthcare professionals are not discussing fertility options and clear referral systems are not in place.
“This is an unacceptable situation as breast cancer is a disease which robs many women of a chance to start a family. We urgently need all healthcare professionals to talk to women about their fertility options at the point of diagnosis.”
For more information, please see Breast Cancer Care, BBC News Online or the Guardian.