On the pulse...for people affected by breast cancer

On the pulse

Cancerkin News…
Hyde Park Walk figures…
Last week we thanked our top 3 Hyde Park Walk fundraisers for their contribution to the success of this years walk. This week, it is the turn of the masses. So, we would like to thank all of you who donated or took part in the walk for helping to raise a whopping (drum roll please)…. £50,082.83! The money raised is invaluable to the work of Cancerkin and will allow us to continue offering the standards of service we provide our patients well into 2011. We are still a little way off the money raised last year, so if you have not sent in your sponsorship money yet then please send it in as soon as possible to: Lauren Newton, The Cancerkin Centre, The Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London, NW3 2QG.

Santy Parbhoo would also like to thank all the supporters who sponsored him personally to complete the walk, raising just over £10,000. It was a great day and he was very pleased at the turn out of so many of his past patients and all the Cancerkin supporters. A final thank you for an incredible fundraising effort and a fantastic walk!

Generosity at its best…
It would be amiss of us to acknowledge all the hard work of our Hyde Park Walkers without making a special mention to Lisa Reynolds who over the past couple of months has raised a fantastic total of £5,002.50 for Cancerkin in memory of her late mum Sue Reynolds. Sue suffered with breast cancer for over 20 years but remained active and positive throughout her illness - raising over £8,000 for The Royal Free and Cancerkin alike through the organisation of her own fundraising initiatives. Sadly Sue lost her battle with breast cancer in May 2009, falling just £2,000 short of the £10,000 fundraising target she had set herself. In honour of her mother Lisa set out to raise the remaining £2,000. Reaching that target and making an additional £3,000, Lisa’s efforts have taken her and her mum’s fundraising total to over £13,000. CONGRATUALATIONS LISA! We would like to commend Lisa & Sue on their fundraising achievements and generosity. The money they raised will be put towards helping women like Sue, here at the Cancerkin Centre. If you would like to make a donation towards Lisa’s cause please visit her JustGiving site here.

In The News….
Nicotine linked to breast cancer…
Examining 276 samples from human breast cancer tumours, researchers at Taipei Medical University have discovered that the breast cancer cells had large numbers of receptors to which the nicotine was able to attach- in comparison to the number of receptors in normal cells. The researchers also found that treating normal cells with nicotine promoted the development of cancer characteristics.

The research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, isolated the nicotine in cigarettes from the other carcinogenic chemicals which are known to be damaging. The results suggest that nicotine itself now has links with cancer calling into question the use of nicotine gum, patches and inhalers, used by many smokers as an aid to quit.

Dr Ilona Linnoila, from the Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute, writes that the study "suggests not only that smoking could be causally related to breast carcinogenesis but also that nicotine could directly contribute to the molecular mechanism of carcinogenesis in addition to indirectly contributing by promoting addiction to smoking."
Read the full article here.

Are you entitled to Employment and Support Allowance benefits…?
The Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC) is asking people living with breast cancer to take part in a new online survey which aims to find out more about their experience of claiming benefits.

The survey takes around 15 minutes and asks a variety of questions including if you have ever claimed Employment and Support Allowance – the new benefit for people who cannot work due to ill health or disability. The survey also asks questions about Housing Benefit and Disability Living Allowance to find out more about how people use these benefits.

The DBC, which is organising the survey, represents over 30 charities and other organisations, including Leonard Cheshire Disability, Arthritis Care and Breast Cancer Care.

The survey’s findings will be used to help the Government better understand the impact changes to benefits like Incapacity Benefit, Disability Living Allowance and Housing Benefit will have on disabled people.
If you would like to take part in the survey please visit the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/dbcsurvey -


Lauren Newton 20th August 2010
l.newton@cancerkin.org.uk