In the UK, the odds of winning the national lottery jackpot are 1 in 14 million. There’s a 1 in 576,000 chance of being struck by lightning, a 1 in 24,528 chance of getting stuck in a lift and there’s a 1.5 in 100 chance of having twins.
The chance of developing cancer is 1 in 3.
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) receives absolutely no government funding, and relies 100% on donations from people like you and me. To make cancer a thing of the past, CRUK needs the cash to fund cutting-edge research and carry out clinical trials on new drugs. Without funding, these drugs can’t be tested, screening programs can’t be developed and the chance to help more people survive this awful disease is lost.
Having the knowledge and the technology to fight cancer just isn’t enough. If you want to help fund these clinical trials, you can donate online by clicking on this image:
Or, if you’re out and about and would like to donate from your phone, you have until the 19th November 2012 to call 0300 123 4444 (please have your card details ready) OR you have until December to text “FIVE” or “TEN” to 70404 to donate £5 or £10, respectively (+ standard text charge). 100% of your donation will go to the Stand Up To Cancer campaign.
If you’d like something to show for your money, you can also buy a whole manner of things at the Stand Up To Cancer shop (while stocks last).
If you’re not the donating type, there are other ways you can stand up to cancer. With more than 4 in 10 cancer cases that can be prevented through making lifestyle changes, make sure you’re aware of the precautionary measures that could save your life. The CRUK website says these include:
- not smoking
- keeping a healthy body weight
- cutting back on alcohol
- eating a healthy, balanced diet
- keeping active
- avoiding certain infections (e.g. Hepatitis B and High-Risk types of Human Papillomavirus)
- staying safe in the sun
- occupation (see chemicals in the workplace)
Also, depending on your gender and your age, one of the most important things you can do for yourself to stand up to cancer, is to be proactive by attending your screening tests when invited. This way you will be in the running for detecting any early pre-cancerous changes in your body, meaning that you catch them early enough to treat them and prevent them from developing into cancer.
Current screening tests available are (please click them for more information):
Presently there are no prostate cancer screening programmes as such, but there is a prostate cancer risk management programme available, this is at least until research provides us with definitive answers on the most effective way to screen.
If you’ve been affected by or diagnosed with cancer and want to know more about it, you can find many answers at Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support.
1 in 3 is such a high chance. Please help change those odds.
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The Stand Up To Cancer campaign can also be found on social media sites:
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