As a young woman, I am extremely passionate about raising much-needed awareness of women’s cancers. I’ve taken part in Make Time for Tea for the past three years, and this year will be no different. I was diagnosed with womb cancer five years ago at the age of 17 and had to undergo a hysterectomy and receive further treatment after my operation. When I first heard about Make Time for Tea, I thought it was a great way to spread the word about gynaecological cancers and women’s health issues in general. Being so young, I was not fully aware of the different types of gynaecological cancers and had no idea about facts and figures surrounding them; in fact, I don’t think many women are, which is why Making Time for Tea this March is so important.
During the time that I’ve been actively involved in raising awareness of gynaecological cancers, I’ve found that they tend to receive less recognition than other cancers, despite the fact that they affect women of all ages. 21,000 women are diagnosed with a form of gynaecological cancer each year – that’s 58 women a day. Looking at these figures and statistics, I personally found it shocking to see just how many women are affected by any one of the five gynaecological cancers every day, and as a womb cancer survivor, I have since tried to make it my duty to get as involved as possible in raising awareness where I can.
The greatest misconception I tend to find is that gynae cancers only affect older, post-menopausal women. However, as I discovered through my own diagnosis, this is far from the truth. Thankfully, due to early detection I was able to receive the correct treatment and have swift surgery which left me with just a few tiny scars on my belly. Other women do not have it so easy, with 21 dying each day from a gynaecological cancer. Being surrounded by so many women in my life including a large group of ten close friends and about fifteen younger female cousins, raising both funds and awareness for The Eve Appeal is extremely important to me as I wouldn’t want anyone close to me to have to go through being told that they have cancer. Educating young women on the symptoms and signs of gynaecological cancers, and reinforcing the importance of knowing our bodies and visiting a GP when unsure about anything is extremely crucial, and this is something that The Eve Appeal works tirelessly doing.
The Eve Appeal does a great job raising awareness for gynaecological cancers. The money raised from your Make Time for Tea events will go towards a range of different motives, from providing an Ask Eve nurse-led information service, to informing women on the signs and symptoms of gynaecological cancers, and to funding pioneering research into them – the decision to Make Time for Tea is therefore a no brainer. As well as having a nice afternoon with your colleagues, friends or family eating cake, nibbling on sweet treats and sipping tea, you’ll also be joining many other women and men in the UK who are all raising awareness for gynaecological cancers.
So what are you waiting for? Help to make change happen this March for those like me who are affected by gynae cancers. Sign up today for Make Time for Tea so you can raise vital funds for and awareness of these deadly diseases. Click here to register and receive your free fundraising pack.