Charities

What a lot of cancer charities there are. Even though I may wish to do so, I can't possibly contribute to all of them. So, although I feel rather mean refusing requests for money for other charities such as Marie Curie and various children's cancer charities, after having yet another collection tin rattled under my nose, I have come to the conclusion that I will continue to fundraise for Cancer Research UK and only make donations to that charity. Why? Because it doesn't confine itself to just one age group or a single type of cancer. And, despite the name, the findings aren't confined only to the UK - any breakthrough in the treatment of cancer is shared on a worldwide basis.

Now, if only cancer detection could be improved... It's all very well "inviting" people to be screened every x years, but the level of error is still too high and the screening programmes only pick up specific types of cancer. As we all know, getting a diagnosis for a cancer that doesn't show up in regular screening tests can take a very long time. Too many people are dying because the diagnosis of cancer is still unsatisfactory - sending patients for screening isn't enough! And as for the type of treatment depending on where you live or your age... don't even get me started on that!

Why, in any case, is the medical profession dependent on charities to raise money for cancer research? What about all that government funding we keep hearing about?