An Edinburgh charity is shining a light on secondary breast cancer across the UK.
Make 2nds Count, founded by Edinburgh mum Lisa Fleming, has launched a new campaign to highlight the lack of awareness and support available for the incurable cancer.
On October 13, landmarks across the UK will be lit up with a wash of colours associated with the charity to raise awareness with venues including Edinburgh's Camera Obscura, Granton Gas Tower and The Balmoral taking part. Along with Dundee's Caird Hall and Blackpool Tower, the buildings will be lit up with pink, purple and teal lights.
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The campaign comes as October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month and October 13 2022, is Secondary Breast Cancer Day, which is often overlooked amidst the wider narrative around the month.
A YouGov survey commissioned this year by Make 2nds Count revealed that 29 per cent of UK adults who are either diagnosed or know a friend or family member with secondary breast cancer felt that research and support were insufficient and not readily available for patients or loved ones.
It also confirmed that only 23 percent of these UK respondents asked would look to the mainstream media as a source of information and support when dealing with secondary breast cancer, whilst a staggering 59 per cent refer to charities offering one-to-one advice and personal experience.
Heather Moffitt, a trustee of Make 2nds Count who is living with Stage 4 (metastatic) breast cancer, comments, “We desperately need people to be aware of this forgotten form of breast cancer. We need to change the narrative and raise so much more awareness around the signs and symptoms of this disease.
“Secondary breast cancer is incurable and without further research and education, this disease will continue to destroy the lives of so many. That’s why we’ve joined forces with venues across the UK to mark a moment and Shine a Light on this disease and the important work that needs to be done.”
The disease, also known as metastatic or advanced is a cancer that has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body and is incurable. On average there are around 35,000 patients in the UK currently living with this form of the disease.
Make 2nds Count was founded in 2018 by Edinburgh mum, Lisa Fleming, 39, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2017 and admitted she had felt 'forgotten about'. Since then, the family-focussed charity has grown and offers to support and is dedicated to giving hope to women and men living with secondary breast cancer.
Their mission is to fund secondary breast cancer research that contributes to advancing an increased quality of life for patients; establish a community that supports and educates patients and families affected by secondary breast cancer; inform and facilitate access to patient trials and to increase overall awareness of secondary breast cancer.
Sings of secondary breast cancer
Secondary breast cancer can be treated but it cannot be cured. Treatments aim to control and slow down the disease to enable patients to have the best possible quality of life for as long as possible.
Make 2nd Counts highlights the common signs and symptoms.
- Pain in your bones that is not relieved by pain medication. Bone pain may worsen in the evening
- Breathlessness and or a persistent dry cough
- Nausea
- Feeling more tired than usual
- Ongoing headaches that are not relieved by pain medication
- Losing your appetite and/or losing weight
- Swelling and an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach area
- Blurred vision, loss of balance or any feeling of weakness and numbness in your arms and legs
- The discovery of lumps or swollen areas under your arm, in your breast and/or your collarbone areas
If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms that are not normal for you or do not go away, please ensure that you contact your doctor or local breast cancer unit to discuss further.
To support Make 2nds Count, you can visit their website here.
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