Cancer day and things need to change!

Disclaimer - this is a rant and opinions are allowed but no abuse for differing opinions please!
This is my opinion and not libellous or meant in such a way. Cancer Research UK I've emailed you and requested meetings with you publicly over social media but you ignored me, if you wish to meet to talk let me know and we'll do so!


It's World Cancer Day. While awareness is good something has pissed me off severely.

Yes Cancer Research UK it's you that continue to piss me off, still!

Why's that Paul?

Well 20 years ago a few of you know my mum lost the fight to cancer. So to me cancer is an asshat of ultimate proportions.

What miffs me the most (and yeah, broken record time again) is how we as a country fund raise the research for cancer!

It's 2015, cancer treatment has come on leaps and bounds! Sadly with the lives we live these days Cancer is becoming a more common thing.
Cancer does not discriminate against a person due to gender with recent reports claiming most of us will get some form of cancer or another in our lifetime, affecting all of those around us.

My soapbox is how a charity like Cancer research UK (referred to now as CRUK) can get away with the race for life still being a female only thing with men volunteering their time to "support" sorry but that's only winding me up more! (bear in mind some women I've spoken to seem to think Race For Life benefits breast cancer fundraising - While I'm definite it's not true it's possibly the female only aspect that brings this potential misconception)

CRUK allow boys under 11 to participate and when challenged they released the following PR statement from 2012! (source similar post from 2010)

Emma Hyatt, head of Race for Life, said CRUK did not plan to open registration to men to take part in events in 2012. "We recognise that men have a really important role to play in Race for Life and we have many male supporters who volunteer their time to help out on the day," she said. "We also encourage men to come along to support the women who are taking part and are continuing to improve facilities to ensure it is a family-friendly event."

I'm sorry but men should be here doing events like this and raising money not standing on the sideline, I've wanted to do race for life since mum's passing in 95 (race for life began in 1994) but was told I'm not allowed as I'm a boy! 20 years later it's still the same bar they let boys do it now

Then CRUK make events like dryathlon what seemed to be marketed to the male market but the events are UNISEX!!
This to me is not on and needs to change and this year I'll be looking for men who want to join me in urging cancer research UK to let men join Race for Life and to change this. Sorry to bring feminism into the post (I'm ignorant in the sense I don't know enough about the movement bar it's for equal rights and female empowerment if understood correctly) but if the event was men only I feel there would be a shitstorm.

This is not about rights or gender it's about all the boys, dad's, granddads, in laws, uncles, brothers, stepbrothers, cousins, boyfriends who've been affected by Cancer, want to be part of something amazing but can't because of their reproductive organs!

Again Cancer does not discriminate with exception of reproductive organs. Why should we still discriminate in 2015.

There are many, many men waiting to join in and fund raise. Let's make 2015 the year it changes!

I want genuine opinions and thoughts here please?

P.S. Movember may be a male event but unless you have the ability to grow a mo we can't control that, but maybe other body hair like arms or legs could be substituted. Especially with the changing ideas of self love and the need to change body image and acceptances!

Disclaimer - this is a rant and opinions are allowed but no abuse for differing opinions please!
This is my opinion and not libellous or meant in such a way. Cancer Research UK I've emailed you and requested meetings with you publicly over social media but you ignored me, if you wish to meet to talk let me know and we'll do so!

Charity even idea!

I'm getting more and more fustrated with cancer research uk. Yes the work they do is fantastic but a large amount of fundraisers seem to be aimed at ladies. Now before people jump on me I've already discussed this in the past and since this they bought in the Dryathlon....... I'm not making this shit up people.

Now the emphasis on this is to donate what you'd drink on a night out throughout a month. Good plan but at the start of the year everyone is skint and the event was mainly aimed at men in my opinion. It probably was meant to be an all are welcome but the ad's were more blokey again in my opinion.

What annoys me here is cancer affects everyone, so events should be more unisex in my eyes, even race for life but seeing as my recent request to talk to someone at CRUK was ignored. However if CRUK wants to talk please say so and I'll happily pop in and have a chat, explain my grievances and why i feel race for life needs to change!

Now I've had an idea for an event for a cancer charity. It may already have been done in the UK but the Aussies seemed to do this and it works well but we need to do more. a
s most people think cancer charities concentrate on things like breast cancer compared to other cancers even some in men.

Google trends highlights this well too!

The idea I've stolen from the Aussies is a Pink ribbon event, as it seems ubiquitous in the world with cancer let's use the pink ribbon to our advantage.
In Australia the Pink Ribbon Motorcycle ride in Sydney is a huge ride for motorcyclists. However my idea is to get others to join in as not everyone can ride a motorbike. for an example of this watch the video below.
WARNING - THIS VIDEO IS FULL OF SWEARING AND PLASTIC BOOBS!


Cyclists, walkers, motorcyclists and motorists all team up. 4 different routes, all meeting at one point in a bid to raise money for research into cancer. Be it CRUK, Macmillan or other Cancer charities or alternatively all funds split between multiple respite care hospices.

I'm no expert on rasing charity events bar balls of steel, so if anyone has any input on organising something on this kind of scale please drop me a line and I'm happy to chat and work out the best course of action or if it's even feasible. (yeah, I'm a n00b at something on this level)

Paul