Being diagnosed with cancer can feel like your life has hit a standstill. This is because they are very difficult to treat and something that might work for one form of cancer might be ineffective against another. It might feel like you won’t be able to survive and enjoy many of the things that you do at the moment. Cancer is a surprisingly common disease as one in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with it with in their life time.
September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month and every year events and presentations are put on around the country to raise awareness and improve peoples’ knowledge of this condition and the sorts of signs and symptoms people should look out for as they live their daily lives. People who may have had experience of the condition are being encouraged to share their own stories in an effort to help others become more aware and know the exact signs to look out for.
The general public are also being encouraged to put on events such as bake sales and tuck shops to help raise as much funding as possible to fight the disease and find as many different ways of treating it as possible and improve the lives of sufferers. This will help people who have been diagnosed with the disease carry on with their every day lives for as long as possible and ensure that possible safety nets can be put in place for those they leave behind.
People are being encouraged to register for an information pack to help them join the conversation on blood cancer or lymphoma to aid in the research process to help cater for the many sufferers around the country and around the world. There are many key facts and statistics that people need to be made aware of to help join the battle. These include:
Lymphoma is the UK’s 5th most common cancer.
It is a type of blood cancer – the most common type.
Every 26 minutes someone is diagnosed with lymphoma in the UK
Lymphoma is the most common cancer in teenagers and young adults (15 to 24 years old)
It is a complex disease – there are over 60 different subtypes
Lymphoma Action is the UK’s only charity dedicated to lymphoma – we’re here for everyone
affected
Members of the general public are also being encouraged to take on challenges which will help them raise funds and awareness of the condition. This could be through collecting sponsorship money. Ideas for the different events people can arrange and take part in include having a run, swim, cycle or take on obstacles! The more funds which are raised the better as it means more equipment can be gained to conduct better research to hopefully some day find a cure.
The most common sign of lymphoma is a lump or lumps, usually in the neck, armpit or groin. These lumps are swollen lymph nodes, sometimes known as ‘glands. Usually, they’re painless. People can also experience signs of fatigue. This is different to normal tiredness. As it means feeling exhausted for no obvious reason or feeling washed out after doing very little. People can also experience signs of unexplained weight loss, itching, fever and suddenly breaking in to an unexplained sweat.
The more people that are aware of the different signs and symptoms that they may experience the better as they could potentially save a life or improve someones quality of life.
If you’d like to help raise awareness of the condition and join the battle, you can sign up for an information pack at: https://lymphoma-action.org.uk/form/blood-cancer-awareness-month
