Cancer needs a cure: only you can make it happen

Hello, I’m Maggie. Firstly, I would like to thank you for taking an interest in my blog. I am advocating the charity Cancer Research UK, which you may have already heard of. Cancer is a big problem in the UK, with 1 in 3 people developing the disease at some stage in their life. Although, many cancer charities exist, I believe that the work of Cancer Research UK is most effective in terms of research. By reading this blog, you too will be helping this extraordinary charity discover the cure for cancer.

Cancer is a group of diseases that can cause almost any sign or symptom. The signs and symptoms will depend on where the cancer is, how big it is, and how much it affects the organs or tissues. If a cancer has spread, signs or symptoms may appear in different parts of the body. As a cancer tumour grows, it can begin to push on nearby organs, blood vessels, and nerves. This pressure causes some of the signs and symptoms of cancer. Before diagnosis, sufferers can experience unexplained weight loss, fever, fatigue, pain, skin changes, sores that do not heal, unusual bleeding and much more.

Here is Yvonne’s story. Yvonne was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003 and underwent three lumpectomies, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
She has been involved in a number of awareness campaigns, including the television advert for the Bad Day campaign in 2009 and a glamorous photo-shoot for Breast Cancer Awareness in 2008.
She has also raised money for Cancer Research UK by cycling across India and running the New York marathon.
Yvonne said she enjoyed sharing her story as it was good for people to hear about positive experiences: 'I have benefited from the research that is going on to modernise and update treatments, so I am happy to do anything to help, and if one person hears that there is hope and life after cancer, it is all worth it.'

Cancer Research UK are currently trying to find the cure for cancer and develop newer, kinder treatments. Their hard work and dedication has led them to helping double the cancer survival rates in just 40 years. Every step they take towards beating cancer relies on every pound donated. By making a donation you too could save lives. Together we can beat cancer – the sooner the better.
Thank you for reading my blog; I would be very grateful if you would answer these few questions using the comments box, please can you tell me where you come from i.e. your hometown  and country (if not UK):

1. Had you ever heard of ‘Cancer Research UK’ before reading this blog?
2. Do you now feel more informed about their amazing work and the devastating consequences of cancer?
3. Would you now consider donating or helping Cancer Research UK by doing things such as taking part in the Race for Life or setting up a cake stall etc.?

Thank you again for your time, I hope you feel more informed about the charity I am advocating,
Maggie

Learn to be heard – Help children suffering with deafness

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to look at this blog, as we believe helping deaf children and their families is a great cause that needs to be helped. By reading this it helps us to know that other people have the heart to at least recognise that deaf children are people – and if you are willing to support in any way please continue to read and leave a comment at the end. As you may be wondering, our theme is the topic of helping deaf children’s education rights to be equalised to those who are fully hearing. You may support our advocacy by just typing NDCS into the search bar and signing an e-petition, or trying to get involved as much as you can by fundraising or donating!

You are probably wondering why you should care at the moment, but here are just a few reasons to prove you should:

• NDCS needs funding to run - and they can’t do it all by themselves – so please help today!
• Deaf children have to pay for specialist education whereas children without disabilities have a perfectly good, free education.
• You could help change the lives of millions of deaf children and their families across the whole world.
• NDCS’ mission is to remove the barriers to the achievement of deaf children throughout the world.
• NDCS believes that with the right support, deaf children can do anything other children are capable of.

You may have thought deaf children were completely normal without hearing, but they are definitely not. They have special educational needs as they cannot hear or speak – this is the main quality needed for learning in comprehensive schools. They need their own schools – such as Exeter Royal Academy for the Deaf – otherwise they have to be home-schooled or educated at a normal school. This can be a hard and painful time for both the child and the parents. Victoria unfortunately had to leave her family for a boarding school, in order to receive the education that was necessary for her to succeed in life. Luckily, she made new friends that were just like family to her. Here is her story:

I am 15 years old. I’m a freshman from Model Secondary School for the Deaf. I am from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I love MSSD. It’s a lot opportunity to do in there. If you’re a MSSD’s new student, you’d learn about a lot stuff 24/7 like everybody. I learned a lot from my friends about other states, their different personals, their different experiences, their different cultures and many things including education too. I met friends and they are from Hawaii, California, Alaska, Florida, Arizona, Texas, Vermont and many more states than you can imagine. I think there are students from other countries. I am not sure if they are still MSSD’s students, but isn’t it cool? MSSD for teaching kids how to be independence like college kids. There are a lot challenges with intelligent kids sit next to you in classes if u are MSSD’s student.

It’s difficult to be independence for a while or longer than that. When I didn’t live in dorm, my mom used to clean my clothes and uniforms. My mom used cook best foods I ever have. I see my family and my pets every day. When I live in dorm, I have to pay and clean my uniforms and clothes every night. My school’s foods are not good enough and I order a lot. I can’t see my family and my pets for a while. I miss my bed. But I love MSSD because I learned lot stuff and I am still learning.
Its big school and many, many kids. There is no popular, no geek and no jocks. They are all mixed up but it’s depending on how intelligent they are. There are some negative about MSSD but it’s happens in all schools too anyway. MSSD is very strict school; they are not accepting hazing kids. They are like watchful like eagle’s eyes and make sure everybody is OK and do their schoolwork and homework.

MSSD keep in touch with parents a lot. MSSD send all parents and (Gallaudet University I think) “MSSD’s newspaper from students” every week. Students write letters, poet, jokes, news and anything they want to say and it’s on “MSSD’s newspaper.” I think it’s pretty cool and it’d make parents proud of their kids if kids wrote but students don’t have to do that. A lot kids wrote so far. MSSD students have to join after school programs like sports, art class and clubs and keep students busy. Students have to control their times so they’d do homework and they’d not sleep late.

My middle school name is Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. MSSD and PSD are very different! MSSD is very big school. PSD is small school. I know all students and I know their last names too. PSD is more flexible than MSSD. PSD taught me a lot but not like MSSD because PSD didn’t teach me that lot like MSSD for 24/7. MSSD have more opportunity to social and more experiences.

This is my first time going away. At first day of dorm for new students only, I was so nervous because I know nobody only old students like sophomore and returning freshman. It’d easier if you has a friend from MSSD. I have a best friend from MSSD, he is sophomore and he knows about MSSD more than I did but not now anymore. I know MSSD enough as my best friend now. It’s hard for my families let me go and live away. But not now anymore because they know I am fine now. They sent e-mail in my mobile pager every day and told them I am OK and how’s my school something like that parent want to know.

As you can see, Victoria had to leave her mum – and her lovely food – as well as her pets, brothers and sisters, which can be very difficult for a child of her age. She may have coped and been happy in the end, but some others are not. As NDCS understand the difficulties that come with leaving home, they hope to provide more schools for the deaf i.e at least one in every county of the UK and at least 5-6 in each state of the U.S. NDCS cannot do this alone and they need your help today! You can go to http://www.ndcs.org.uk/ to help give those who are deaf the chances they need! You could also sign our petition: http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/ndcsrachelandbrooke

Please kindly leave some feedback on our blog, here are some questions to get the ball rolling:

1. Have you heard about the problems caused for children who are deaf?
2. Do you know feel more informed about the issues faced by deaf children?
3. Would you now be prepared to do any of the following to help improve the lives of deaf children:

• Make a donation to NDCS?
• Start or join a fundraising campaign?
• Sign an e-petition?
• Tell your family and friends about NDCS and try to persuade them to help in any of the ways before?

Even if you do not post a response – as well as if you do- please tell me where you come from i.e. your home town and country (if not the UK)!

 Thank you for taking the time to read,
Rachel and Brooke

A world free of cancer - it’s not just a dream, it can be a reality.

Thank you very much for taking time to read my Blog. I am Kathryn and trying to find a way to beat cancer is something that I feel very strongly about. Many people in the world today know what it is like to be diagnosed with cancer and or have seen the suffering a family member or friend who have been diagnosed with cancer. There is a picture below of Jo Warsop who survived cancer with the help from the very vital research that happened because of Cancer Research UK. When you have read my blog, I hope that you will know more about the problems faced by thousands of people like Jo Warsop - & feel that you will want to help.

Here is Jo’s story. Jo found a lump in her breast when she was 6 months pregnant and was diagnosed with breast cancer. In May 2009 she had a lumpectomy and had 34 lymph nodes removed. Jo was the induced at 37 weeks after her son Archie was born. Just 1 days after giving birth she began an intensive course of treatment starting with chemotherapy. She then had radiotherapy followed by Tamoxifen – considered the most important drug in the history of breast cancer treatment. Jo is currently using Tamoxifen and will continue to use it until 2014.

Cancer Research UK is a major funder of breast cancer research in the UK. Their work has underpinned today’s treatment of the disease and has helped save many thousands of lives. Eight out of 10 women in the UK now survive breast cancer beyond five year, compared with five out of 10 women in the 1790s

Thank you so much again for taking your time to read my Blog. Please now post me your thoughts and your response to what you have read. In particular, it would be great if you could write a few words in answer to the following questions - & and help in any way you think that you can. Also could you please include in your response where you come from. For further details on Cancer Research UK please visit their website at www.cancerresearchuk.org

• Had you heard about the problems caused for people who have cancer before?
• Do you now feel more informed about the issues faced by people with cancer?
• Would you now be prepared to do any of the following things to help improve the lives of people who have cancer...

1. Make a donation to Cancer Research UK?
2. Start or join a fund raising campaign?
3. Sign up to receive regular information about the work of Cancer Research UK?
4. Would you support Cancer Research UK every time you use eBay?
5. Tell your family & friends about Cancer Research UK & try to persuade them to help out in any of the ways above?

 Many thanks!
Kathryn

A Cancer Free World- It Doesn’t Have To Be a Dream

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to read my blog. My name is Ribh, and I want to raise awareness for Cancer Research UK and how they want to make this world cancer free. Many people know about this charity, but not everyone knows about the finer details to the charity. My family and I have been affected by cancer, and I feel very strongly about raising awareness for cancer, what help there is to offer and, most importantly, changing the way you think about cancer. When you have read my blog, I hope that you will think about cancer in a different way and know a little bit more about what it can do.

This is the story of Kathryn Cartwright. Kathryn Cartwright was 16-years-old when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells. Having undergone successful chemotherapy and multiple transplants, she is all too aware of how precious life can be. Her story began in August 2007, when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.  She quotes: “My story is fairly unique, actually, totally and utterly- there is a paper being written about me- and I think it might help people who feel like they're at the end realize that there's always hope. I needed a stem cell transplant as soon as possible because standard treatment would have most likely resulted in relapse. I had a Peripheral Stem Cell Transplant (PSCT) in December of that year from my sister and it went incredibly well and I was home in thirteen days, fastest transplant ever. I didn’t get any graft-versus host disease (GVHD), a common complication following a tissue replacement, so no graft vs. Leukemia.”

But in April 2008, Kathryn relapsed. Again, she started chemotherapy, with a one in five chance of survival. She then had her second transplant in July 2008. This time, she had extensive GVHD in her skin and gut. Once it was under control, she went home, but unfortunately, the GVHD spread to her eyes. They managed to get it sorted, then on Halloween 2008; she spiked a temperature and went to hospital. She then found out that she had GVHD in her liver. Bile was leaking into her bloodstream and slowly poisoning her. She then had a liver transplant on 21^st December 2008. She also had a bone marrow transplant, to get rid of the cells. She had 6 months of rehab of learning how to walk and eat again. She sometimes uses a wheelchair, and is now out of serious danger.

This is what cancer can do to people, and Kathryn’s family was seriously affected by what happened. To find out more about cancer, go to www.cancerresearchuk.org/.

Thank you for reading my blog. Please post me a response with your thoughts. Please could you answer the following questions in your post. If you do post, could you please tell me where you come from (hometown, country)

• Had you heard of Cancer Research UK before reading this blog?
• Would you now make a donation to Cancer Research UK?
• Would you now support Cancer Research UK on eBay?
• Tell your family and friends about the blog?
• Thanks again!

Ribh

Every Child Deserves A Childhood - Help End Child Poverty

Firstly, thank you for opening my blog, giving every child in the U.K equal opportunities in life is something I feel needs to happen. Many people don’t think poverty in the U.K is a problem, but it is, and a big one too. Many people don’t think poverty in the U.K is a problem, but it is, and a big one too. One voluntary organisation that helps a lot is the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), and I am keen to support their life-changing work.          

And here is the reasons they are unfortunately needed. Approximately 3.6 million children live in poverty in the U.K. That is over 1 in 4. Poverty includes being cold, going hungry, not being able to go out with friends and not being able to go on holiday for more than one week a year etc. Also, children receiving free school meals achieve 1.7 grades lower at GCSE level. This impacts on length of life - a study shows professionals live, on average, eight years longer than unskilled workers. I think it is appalling that not having a proper childhood makes your life noticeably shorter.

Here is Rachel’s story (her name has been changed to respect her privacy). She was a single parent with two children, aged nine and seven living in London. She had experienced domestic violence throughout her marriage, then found herself homeless from paying off debts and demands from family members. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) refused her benefits stating that she should have had savings above the allowable limit, and also incorrectly stating she had spent her remaining savings in order to claim benefits.

Rachel’s adviser, a woman’s aid centre contacted the Child Poverty Action Group’s (CPAG) advice line, having lodged an appeal against the DWP’s decision. An independent tribunal would decide whether she was legally entitled to benefits, and the judge had made detailed directions seeking more information and requested the legal arguments on which Rachel was relying. Although the Woman’s aid centre are specialists in social security law, they felt they needed the support that CPAG could provide. They provided a detailed argument for use at the tribunal, and provided a stronger presentation of the facts. Rachel won her appeal, and was awarded housing and income support benefits. This enabled her to support herself and her family, and have a stable family home. That was the first step towards living a poverty free life for herself and her children. With your support, CPAG can carry on providing expert advice to those who need it and create a society where every child has full chance to shine.
 

 









 
Children living in poor conditions.
    
Thanks again for reading my blog, please leave a comment with your thoughts. It would be great if you could answer these questions as well.

1. Had you heard of CPAG before?
2. Were you aware of the amount of children living in poverty and the effects of it?
3. Would you now be prepared to help CPAG in giving every child equal opportunities?

If you do post a response, please can you tell me where you come from- your county if in the U.K, your country if not the U.K.

Thanks again
Charlotte

Mihret is safe, 4.6 million orphans in Ethiopia aren't.

Hi, my name is Anna and I am a student at TGGS. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

In Ethiopia there are 4.6 million orphans. That’s far too many. And there aren’t enough orphanages to help them all. With no Orphanages and no family to help, the street is the only answer. Beyond the Orphanage is trying to stop this.

Beyond The Orphanage provides not just a home for Orphans, but a new life.  Orphans in the BTO program live in the community with members of their family. They have access to healthcare, dental treatment and counselling. They are also given an education with their school fees, uniform and textbooks paid for.

This is Mihret’s story. Mihret is 12 years old. She was born in Wollo in the northern part of Ethiopia. She lost both her parents to HIV/AIDS as a young child. She then went to live with her aunt and uncle but they struggled to earn enough money for them all. BTO heard about her situation and got involved. Mihret’s family now have enough money to look after her. Mihret is a diligent student and works hard for the education she desperately wants. She would like to be a doctor to treat HIV/AIDS patients.

Why should you care? You should care because every child matters, and if you lived in Ethiopia that child could be yours.

Beyond the Orphanage helps many children like Mihret, one child at a time. But it relies totally on charitable donations, as it receives no Government funding. Please help BTO to change an Orphan’s life forever.

To find out more visit http://www.beyondtheorphanage.org/

Thank you again for taking an interest in my blog.

Please take a minute to answer these questions.

Do you think my blog is informative?

Which Country do you live in (if not UK)?
 

Citizenship Blog - Cancer Research UK

Hello I’m Isabella. First of all I would like to thank you for taking some time to look at my blog. I want to tell people about Cancer Research UK so that we can help beat cancer.

Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world’s leading charity dedicated to beating cancer through research. They are fighting cancer on all fronts, finding new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat it. The charity doesn’t only carry out research – every year they provide life-changing information to anyone affected by cancer.

Ground breaking research has helped double cancer survival rates in the last 40 years and CRUK has been at the heart of the progress. Three quarters of children with cancer are now cured, compared with just a quarter in the 1960s. CRUK helped develop cisplatin, a drug that’s transformed survival rates of testicular cancer. More than 95% of men with the disease are now cured and their research in tamoxifen has helped thousands more women survive breast cancer. But there are still many other types of cancer with no cures…

This is a story about a little girl whose life was transformed by CRUK…
As Georgia approached her first birthday, she was just like any other child. But one night in August 2008 she suddenly felt very ill so Georgia’s mum took her daughter to the doctors to find out that Georgia needed to be rushed to hospital for many blood tests and an MRI scan. It was a long night before they received the news that they had dreaded; it was cancer and, worse, it had spread. Their lives were turned upside down.
Georgia went through a year of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and in June 2009 she completed her treatment, and in July her family were told that she was in remission. Thanks to Cancer Research UK, Georgia is now a happy, healthy, cheeky, normal child with nothing to show other than a few scars on her tummy.

Although Cancer Research has made great progress in some areas, they haven’t beaten the disease yet. Every 2 minutes someone is diagnosed with cancer, so they are determined to keep working until cures have been found for every single cancer. As CRUK do not receive any government funding for research, they would not be able to keep up their necessary work without gifts from supporters. This is why they desperately need your help.

Thank you so much again for reading my Blog. It would be great if you could leave me a comment and answer these questions. For further details visit: www.cancerresearchuk.org

1. Had you heard of CRUK before?
2. Do you now feel more informed about the charity?
3. Would you now donate to CRUK?

Sooner or later we will find a cure for cancer…
help us make it sooner

Unite in the Battle Against Brain Tumours

Hello there, my name is Freya, and I am a Torquay Girls’ Grammar School student, and am currently working on my citizenship GCSE coursework. For it, we must advocate about a cause that we feel very strongly about. My chosen topic is The Brain Tumour Charity.
As this charity works relentlessly towards raising awareness and funds to fight against brain tumours, I hope to ensure that, after reading my post, you will feel more informed about them, and what the symptoms are.



 










So, why should you care? Well, although brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of adults and children under forty, The Brain Tumour Charity does not receive any Government funding, so relies solely on public generosity, who fights the battle against these silent killers. Currently, just 14% of adults survive for five years after diagnosis, but the charity is devoted to altering that figure through research, petitions and raising awareness. Brain tumours are also the biggest cause of preventable blindness in children, so as you can imagine, it can ruin a life in many ways.

Another reason as to why brain tumours are so deadly is that not everyone is aware of the facts, and the symptoms are easily confused with common illnesses. Vomiting, headaches and blurry eyes are just a few examples; a few hours in the diagnosing time could mean the difference between life and death. HeadSmart, a campaign funded by The Brain Tumour Charity informs you about the ways you can identify a brain tumour in a child, and they offer to send you  free symptom cards. If you would like to help raise awareness and distribute them to your local primary school or nursery, although it might seem like a small gesture, it could possibly save a kid’s life. Please visit this link if you are interested: Headsmart -be brain tumour aware.

Take Jake for example- he had just celebrated his second birthday was just beginning to learn his alphabet. Suddenly, one day he started to tilt his head to one side abnormally and was continually losing his balance. His parents were concerned and immediately took him to their GP, who did not recognize the symptoms, and sent him away with some mild painkillers. That same night, they slept in his room, on a spare bed. When they awoke a few hours later, he was no longer breathing.

The post-mortem revealed a brain tumour as large as a baseball within his brain. If only his parents or the GP had been more aware of the symptoms, then Jake would still be alive today. With The Brain Tumour Charity’s help, fewer children would have to suffer like this.

Thank you so much for reading my blog post. Please spare a couple of moments to answer a few questions.

1. Had you heard about The Brain Tumour Charity before reading this blog post?
2. Would you now consider supporting this charity, by either raising awareness or donating?
3. Would you now be prepared to distribute symptom cards for the HeadSmart campaign?
4. Finally, please tell me where you live and which country you come from.

Thanks again for your time,
Freya

Rescue is possible - So why is there still depression?

Hello and thank you for reading my blog post. My name is Gabrielle and I’m advocating for ‘To Write Love On Her Arms’. It’s an American based charity that deals with depression, self-harm and addiction.

In my life, I've seemed to be a magnet for people who haven’t had the best time, having several friends having similar troubles in their lives.  Sometimes, this isn't a bad thing even though your friend is slipping away because you catch them and pull them back up. You get to help people in their darkest moments and when they need you most. You know you've done something good in your life to help people. You know you've saved a life.

Don’t just tell someone with depression to be happy. It’s like telling someone in a wheelchair to just walk. Care and time is needed. You need to hold the person up and help them to walk. Watch their every step into recovery. TWLOHA helps by spreading the donations to other charities like various hotlines, treatment and counselling because sometimes you need an extra pair of arms to support them.

Why should you care? According to statistics, almost all of you will be affected by depression at some time in your lives. It may not be your depression affecting you, maybe a family member, friends or partners. They will need to be rescued from it all and it’s not as easy as I just described. They fall uncountable times but all the trouble is weighing them down so they can’t get up. As I said, you sometimes need those extra arms.

Now that you read my post, please may you answer these questions:

• Did you previously help to support this cause?
• Would you now be interested in supporting this charity?
• If you want more information on the charity, please visit the charities website-  http://twloha.com/

If you have any more questions, please ask them and I will get back to you ASAP. Additionally, when replying, please add your location (Town and country) if possible.

Thank you for reading,

Gabrielle Corrigan

Macmillan Cancer research -help us, to help them…

Thank you very much for showing an interest in our blog! We’re Rachael and Pamela and cancer is a subject that we both feel very strongly about and we believe that everyone should have someone by their side; every step of the way. Although cancer is well known, the suffering experienced by people that have cancer is unimaginable. Hopefully, after you read our blog, you will know a little bit more about the work that Macmillan does and the problems thousands of people face.

Please take the time to read about Kate and her story about dealing with cancer. Kate is your typical working mum, stressed but happy; always on her toes. Kate was due a smear test but didn’t think that there was anything wrong with her. However, she soon started feeling pain and so decided to go and have it checked out. Kate had cervical cancer. Within two months her condition became un-operable...it was a huge shock to her and her family, she quotes:
“It was like a hammer smashing down on us, it was harder telling them than hearing it myself.”
Kate became so tired and weak that she was unable to move or talk- sleeping throughout most of the day. She contacted Macmillan and got a nurse (named Vicky) to help her through the chemotherapy and everyday life. Now happily married, Kate knows Macmillan will help her daughter and husband too. Although she doesn’t have a long time left to live, Macmillan has made sure that Kate and her family have happy memories to remember her by.

 Again we thank you very much for reading our blog. Please do now leave a response with your thoughts. It would also be great if you could just write a few words answering the following questions and if you would be willing to help in any way you can. For more information about Macmillan’s amazing work then go to: http://www.macmillan.org.uk Help to turn a frown upside down, today!

• Had you heard about the problems caused by cancer before reading this blog?
• Do you now feel more informed about the issues faced by people with cancer?
• Would you now be prepared to do any of the following things to help improve the lives of people going through cancer…?

1. Make a donation to Macmillan Cancer Research?
2. Start or join a fundraising campaign?
3. Sign up to receive regular information about the work of Macmillan?
4. Tell your friends and family about Macmillan Cancer Research and try to persuade them to help out in any of the ways above?

If you do post a response, please can you tell me where you come from i.e. your home town and county (if not in the UK?)

Many Thanks!
Rachael and Pamela

Do a little to help a lot – Macmillan Cancer Support

Hi my name is Scout. Thank you for taking an interest in my Blog! Helping those with Cancer is something I believe in very strongly. Macmillan Cancer Support helps those who need it a lot. They care for Patients with cancer and help to support them financially. As well as supporting those with cancer, Macmillan also do the same for the others affected, such as their family and friends.

Many people are living with cancer in silence, and living in fear, Macmillan are there to reduce the fear and reassure family and friends. Macmillan also have an online community so patients don’t feel so alone in what they are going through. This means that if at any time, they have any worries or even want to talk to someone, they can do just that.

Cancer can do many things to people, it can make their life a misery. If you feel that something like cancer is ruining our life, you will want a completely selfless organisation like Macmillan there to be there through you treatment process.

Cancer is not a single disease with a single type of treatment. There are more than 200 different kinds of cancer, each with its own name and treatment.

This is Paul. He has been a member of Macmillan’s Online Community since being diagnosed with bladder cancer in September 2010. He spends time chatting online to people, who are finding ways to get through the tough times together.

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That you again for reading my blog! Please now post me a response with your thoughts. In particular, it would be great if you could write just a few words in answer to the following questions – and help in anyway you feel you can. Further details of all the ideas listed below can be found at: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Home.aspx 

• Have you heard about the problems caused for people affected by cancer before?
• Do you now feel more informed about the issues face by people affected by cancer?
• Would you be prepared to do any of the following things to help improve the lives of people affected by cancer…

1. Make a donation to Macmillan Cancer Support?
2. Start or joined a fund raising campaign?
3. Volunteer your time to help at Macmillan?
4. Tell you’re your family and friends about Macmillan Cancer Support and try to persuade them to help out in any of the ways above?

If you do post a response, please can you tell me where you come from i.e. your home town and country (if not UK)

Many Thanks!

Anode -Changing Lives, Giving a Voice, Fighting Poverty in Torbay

Thank you for visiting my blog! My name is Rosie and I am trying to inform people about the charity Anode, who support families that are struggling with poverty in Torbay. Poverty in the UK is a bigger problem than people think. Almost one in four children live in families who struggle to pay for basic needs like food, heating, transport, clothing and the extra costs of schooling like equipment and trips. There is a total of 13 million people living in poverty in the UK.

Poverty is the single greatest threat to the well being of children and families. It can affect every area of a child's development - social, educational and personal.  –Barnardos

To be able to tackle poverty in the UK we must...  start small, think big.

The charity, based in Torbay, was founded five years ago by its managing director Nigel Williams. Anode is a charity that is determined to help. They give counselling, life coaching, food, school uniform, furniture and much, much more.  Devon is well known for being a beautiful place to visit, but nobody notices the mass unemployment and high deprivation levels. If there were places like Anode all over the UK we could easily stamp out poverty. The Values of Anode are built around people. They believe that each person is to be treated with kindness, compassion and respect.

Thanks again for taking an interest in my blog. Please post a response with your thoughts, the answers to the following questions and where you come from.

• Have you ever heard of the charity anode?
• If there was a place like Anode near you would you volunteer?
• If there was a place like Anode near you would you donate?
• Tell your family and friends about places like Anode?

Many thanks

Rosie J

Why won’t you Free the Bears?

Hello, my name is Lara and thank you for choosing and taking an interest in my blog! I feel really strongly about the destruction of bears and their homes. Almost nobody has heard of the charity ‘Free the Bears’ and I really want that to change. Although most people know about the polar bear or panda on the edge of extinction, most don’t realise how many different types of bear are at risk. Once you’ve read my blog I hope you will feel more informed about bears and this charity.

An example of what we’re doing to kill bears is bear smuggling. A man from the Ukraine claimed he was a circus performer, working for a now retired and old bear ‘Kesha’. He told officers that the bear was a member of his family, that they never went anywhere without each other. He tried to smuggle Kesha across the border, from Russia to the Ukraine, meaning the bear was then taken to the zoo. It was taken from its natural habitat because of the man. It was a Syrian Brown Bear, a type of bear that is on the brink of extinction. Just one less in the wild.

Thanks to Free the Bears many bear are safe and happy in their natural habitat, but many are slowly dying. Reasons such as pollution, global warming, bear bile (Bile bear taken to small prisons and their digestive juice taken out, killing the bear, and sold for common Chinese medicine). This needs to be stopped. Today.

Once again thank you for taking time to read my blog. I  hope you now know more about my charity. 

Help Bliss- save a life, a life that hasn’t been lived yet

Hello, I would just like to thank you for viewing my blog; it means a lot. My names Mia and I support the charity Bliss.  Bliss is a baby charity that works to provide care for sick or premature babies- not only do they care for the babies but they also provide the support that is needed to the parents who are suffering.

I am trying to raise awareness about this charity because not enough people realise how serious this matter is; 1 in every 9 babies is born either premature or sick that’s 80,000 babies every year with one being admitted to special care every six minutes. I want this number to come down, do you?

There are so many ways that you can support Bliss. You can fundraise, you can campaign for change, you can volunteer or you can just simply donate. The money that goes towards Bliss helps so many people. £10 could provide telephone support for a family through our helpline. £25 could provide a family with a free set of information booklets at the neonatal unit. 50 Could fund a neonatal nurse on a specialist Bliss study day. Help is needed so families won’t have to have their heart broken.

I also want everyone to realise that babies also need good care while they are in the womb. This means no smoking, alcohol or unsubscribed drugs to be taken; this could cause serious damage to the child. Everyone should know that they might have the perfect birth there could be complications. All this could be helped if we all knew the dangers. 

Why you should care as much as I do:

• Your child might be one of these that are seriously ill. You would then need support to help you get through the hard times. You won’t want to be alone like many mothers are.
• The amount of babies being admitted to special care is too high and together we should bring it down.
• This is what a child has to go through (image on the right) and what a family has to look at; they have to see their child fighting for its life knowing that there is nothing they can do but hope.
• Not enough people are realising the dangers of what they are doing while they are pregnant; they don’t realise the effect it has on their child.
• It is so simple to donate; even a penny could mean someone’s life had been saved.

If you want to learn more about Bliss visit http://www.bliss.org.uk/. 

If you would like to, it would be very appreciated, if you could please answer these questions:

• Had you heard about Bliss before reading my blog?
• Do you now feel more informed about Bliss?
• Would you now support Bliss by donating money or volunteering?
• Would you now tell your family and friends about Bliss and try to persuade them to donate?
• Have you changed your opinion about Bliss?
• It would also be nice if you left in the comment which hometown or country you are from.

Thank you so much for reading my blog and, if you did, leaving a comment. It is very much appreciated