Today, I am joining other MPs to #spreadtheword to support the Breast Cancer Campaign. On the 10th of September I will also be attending the Parliament ‘Wear it Pink’ event, bringing the campaign to the heart of Government, which I fully support.
The Breast Cancer Campaign hopes to raise both money for, and awareness of the disease, as well as support the thousands of women and men diagnosed with breast cancer every year.
To truly demonstrate how important this issue is, here is a list of five critical facts about breast cancer;
- There are more than 200 different types of cancer; breast cancer is the 3rd deadliest
- Around 12,000 women still die from breast cancer every year in the UK
- In the UK, breast cancer is the most common cancer, with around 50,000 women diagnosed with it each year. One woman in eight will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime
- This isn’t just an issue for women; around 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, and in the same period 80 men will die from it too
- There are an estimated 570,000 people living in the UK today who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and this figure is estimated to rise to over 1.2 million by 2030
Now, let's look at two facts that can give us hope for the future;
- 40 years ago, the five year survival rate for breast cancer was only around 50 per cent
- Now, over 85% of women with breast cancer are still alive five years after the diagnosis and 75% live for at least 10 years after diagnosis
People who have beaten breast cancer are surviving longer thanks to advances in research, new treatments, earlier diagnosis, breast screening and breast cancer awareness. They are also surviving longer because campaigns like the Breast Cancer Campaign exist and raise much-needed funds for new treatments and research, alongside raising awareness to encourage regular checks and help women and men to get diagnosed much earlier.
With your support more and more people will start to spread the word, taking us one step closer to stopping the spread of this terrible disease.
You can join the campaign today yourself by using the Twitter hashtag #spreadtheword or connecting with the campaign’s Twitter feed @BCCampaign
To make a donation, visit http://www.breastcancercampaign.org/support-us/donate
If you want to find more information about the Breast Cancer Campaign visit Breastcancercampaign.org