Making Sense Of Cancer #CancerCanDoOne With Mike Kinnaird

You'd think all ambition would be finished right there. Dreams gone. Surely that's logical?
If you get cancer in your teens and recover, you're still not going to achieve what you thought you could.
Maybe that's what many think. And maybe that's true for some. But that's not the case for Ellie Philpotts. 
She gets exclusives, such as breaking a national covid vaccination story in December 2020.
She’s written for Times Higher Education; The Telegraph; Reader's Digest; Metro; and HuffPost.  Credits include Senior Reporter at GPOnline, Haymarket Media Group, and regular freelance reporter at Doctors.net.uk. It's a long list.
She’s won a stack of awards including Best Scoop, Best Editorial Assistant and a High Commendation at the British Society of Magazine Editors Talent Awards; a finalist nod for Newcomer of the Year at the Medical Journalism Awards.
And this is only a snapshot. The point is that life hasn’t held her back. It hasn’t prevented her from grabbing the journalism and writing career she set her sights on at school.
And on top of everything, Ellie is also a tireless campaigner for teenage cancer awareness. The teenage numbers are climbing and at 15 Ellie developed Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Now London-based and in her 20s, this is Ellie, a teenage cancer survivor…
 
#teenagecancer #teenagecancersurvivor #cancerawareness #cancercandoone #cancerresearchuk #louthrunforlife #cancerjournalist
 
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Feeling bullied. And her anxiety attacks were often not recognised at school. She felt punished for feeling the way she did. Not all teachers reacted this way; she did get some support.
But looking back now, she feels it’s the education training system that doesn't give teachers the skills they need to recognise these situations.
Fast forward and it’s now social media that can be a best friend one day, and then…
This is part two of Imogen’s story. She was eight years old when she was told her mum had leukaemia. It’s a situation that not only affects the patient but the whole family network.
Now 17, Imogen feels the experience will shape how she views the future, her career and lifestyle choices. She’s already campaigning for cancer awareness, but this is only the start…
 
 
#cancercandoone #louthrunforlife #cancerawareness #cancerhelpforchildren #childcancer #parentcancer #cancerresearchuk #cancerwarrior #cancersurvivor #leaukaemiasurvivor 
 
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How do you tell a child their parent has cancer? What words do you use...when?
There's plenty of help on the internet. But what about the real world? What is it like to be a child and hear those words? Is there any advice for all of us who may have to sit a child down and tell them at some point?
Imogen was just eight years old when that happened to her.  Now 17 she has plenty to say about how the experience shaped her view of the future, how the lack of empathy in schools let her down and the tricky world of social media.
But in this, the first of two parts, what do you say to a child on that day and how do you build a new life around them? Imogen has been there and tells us now...
#cancercandoone #louthrunforlife #cancerawareness #cancerhelpforchildren #childcancer #parentcancer #cancerresearchuk #cancerwarrior #cancersurvivor #leaukaemiasurvivor 
 
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'Patients in my position finish the main hospital treatments then you are left with very little support and many patients feel uncomfortable and not certain how to pick their lives up...' 
It's a feeling many cancer patients experience. They know the NHS is extraordinary. The skill, compassion, and relentless work have transformed their lives and restored hope. But...it's when that life-saving treatment has ended that they can feel lost. Now what do I do, who do I talk to, what is my life now...who can help me?
A charity in Lincolnshire, Every-One, has a huge portfolio of help across all kinds of health issues, and for cancer, it runs a Cancer Co-production Group. The quote you read at the start is from one group member. Those who had cancer in the recent past share their highly personal experiences with health professionals.  They tell the story from the receiving end and give their perspective. 
And it works. They're shaping future cancer care policy. The Chief Executive of Every-One is Vicky Thomson...
CLICK to find out more about the work of Every-One
 
#cancercandoone #CancerResearchUK #cancerfundraiser #cancerrun #cancerawareness #louthrunforlife
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Imagine ignoring that bump or that pain because...you can't afford the cost of a test or the treatment.
 
That's the stark reality for millions. Some British expats are giving up on their retirement in the sun dream and heading home because health care costs are spiralling beyond reach.
 
That's certainly true in Northern Cyprus currently gripped by 70 percent plus inflation. Bridget Tuxworth runs a restaurant in Lapta in the territory. She's organising an event to celebrate her 60th birthday for the charity Tulips, currently the only cancer charity in Northern Cyprus. It began in 1993 when local cancer care was almost non-existent.
 
We'll hear from her later, but first, Susan Tilt is a fundraiser for Tulips. She says the lack of finances and spiralling costs has put lives of all nationalities in danger. And there's no sign of changes soon...
 
(Bridget's Just Giving Page)
(Tulips Charity)
#cancercandoone #CancerResearchUK #cancerfundraiser #cancerrun #cancerawareness #louthrunforlife
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1,000 + runners, huge crowds and another record-breaker from this national flagship fundraising group in a tiny town. 18 years ago £3,000 was raised - this time around £30,000 plus gift aid. It's June 30, 2024, 7 am and the team has been there for quite a while already...
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If you're showing signs of prostate cancer, it's probably too late. That's a stark fact.
The current test for men isn't 100% accurate as it is but it's by far the best option.
I had mine a couple of months ago which is ridiculous. Stupid. Because men over 50 in the UK are entitled to the test and I'm a long way the other side of that.
I just kept forgetting to go to my GP.  NO excuses. So I was lucky. The snag is even some doctors are unsure about all this subject.
And, of course, if you are positive but caught in time, the lifelong effects shape your every day,  as you'll hear now ...
 
#prostatecancer #prostatetest #louthrunforlife #cancercandoone
 
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Louise wasn't prepared to sit back and do nothing. After her double mastectomy, she became a well-known campaigner fighting the stigma faced by women in a similar situation.
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Nipples and areolas. For some women who lost nipples and the areola during reconstruction following breast cancer, it can be devastating. In some cases, they no longer feel like a woman.
You can also hear an episode on this podcast from Louise Butcher, The Topless Runner,  who opted not to have reconstruction and she strongly supports that choice. But if you do, then what?
Katie Harrington has been a successful tattooist for many years. She knew of nipple and areola tattoos but knew there was probably more to this than she imagined. And she was right. She's back from an intensive course, had her first client and in some ways, it was almost starting out all over again. The stakes are high...
 
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We spoke to NHS Patient Advocate Anna Mamwell before about long-term patient health during and after treatment. It's something she knows all about. Anna also had leukaemia. In hospital for 6 months. And she was terrified.  
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