No problems with them - they’re great at raising awareness and presumably fund raising - just am I the only one who gets a big lump in my throat and all the ‘negative’ thoughts I’ve been locking away come flooding back to the surface? And then I feel guilty for feeling that way!!
Came back from my fist chemo today. Was watching tv with my son and this ad came on. I got really upset after the ‘it’s come back’ bit. It made my cry , in the living room, in front of my son, and i have been strong all day…
They repeated it soon after.
I never want to watch it again. I want to be relaxing watching TV, not reminded of all this sh*t. (sorry)
No Broomsticklady, you’re not the only one!
I feel exactly the same and I know it affects our families who are also watching the tv alongside us…
Stella
Hi folks,
Sitting watching it with my 13 year old son, I almost feel like I have to say to him “my cancer’s not like that” or “…not too bad” to protect him and myself from worrying.
Now I have finished surgery X2, I keep telling myself that I “had” cancer even though I have chemo and radiotherapy to come and my tumour was 7cm square. I feel like I am not really going through this and am fine, almost like I am pretending! As I’m typing this it sounds like I am mad, so please forgive me.
I even feel like I am “wagging it” from work! Perhaps I am in some kind of denial???
Anyway it’s stupid o clock again… sleep eludes…just been on pee duty with dogs.
Bye for now and take care
Sallyann XXX
Hi, I don’t like this ad either, especially the “it’s come back”. I know that it’s the reallity for some, but I find it depressing and not necessary.
Carolx
Hi Ladies,
Yes l too don’t like this advert, yes we know it brings it into the light and hopefully it is doing what it is inteded to do with regards to getting the support it so very dearly needs.
But for those sitting with their families young or old, when the bit where it says ‘its come back’ sends a shiver through my body, if l sitting here by myself l turn the volume down, othewise l start talking, or leave the room, yes of course the family know why l do it, just all too sensitive for me!
I am sure they could make an advert getting through to people, without getting into the minds of those suffering with this dreadful illness
Hugs
Sandra x
The vast majority of this advert is very positive-with only one reference to metastatic disease. Nor are we told what type of cancer the lady who receives the bad news, actually has-it may be b.c., it may not. As one with secondaries, I find the message powerful, and positive-I’m permanently on treatments, and know all too well the horror of being told “it’s come back” (or as my onc said, “it’s not going away”). To those who object/don’t like it-what message should they be giving out? Of course it is upsetting-dying from cancer is, but if ads like this can help in some small way to raise awareness/contribute towards finding a cure (albeit the latter may be many years distant), then I think a few moments of upset is a small price to pay. It’s an emotive and powerful advert, which tells it exactly as it is- the “it’s back” message is one which I hope none of you ever need to hear-that’s far more upsettting than a fictional portrayal.
My Mum actually rang Cancer reasearch to say how upsetting she found this ad. As somebody who has lost a husband and a son to cancer and now has to watch her daughter go through treatment for BC she finds it especially upsetting. As she says she knows they need to raise money but she sits and watches tv as an escape from her thoughts about cancer. I switch over when it comes on.
Hello
My sister died of breast cancer in 2003 and I had treatment for it in 2007-8. When I was having treatment I felt oppressed by the amount of cancer in the media - everywhere you went, couldn’t get away from it. However, I accept that I was particularly sensitive to it at that moment in my life. I think the Cancer Research campaign is right to say it can come back, because so many people now get better from cancer that people don’t think it’s still a killer, which of course it is! We need a lot more research and funding… I thought they did it sensitively.
Most people said they thought the advert was very good. I didn’t particularly like it and have made a point of not watching it on TV.
Here is what I said when I was asked for my opinion: “Thank you for giving me the chance of giving you my opinion on your advert. Overall, it’s fine but I did find it a little ordinary. And what about the people who go on to get secondaries/recurrences. Wouldn’t they find it frightening? After getting cancer this is one of the biggest fears – believe me I know as a four years misdiagnosed cancer patient. I would like to have seen something being said about personal awareness. Both age and awareness could have been incorporated into the advert. I think more people are likely to donate if they find it is also educating them. I thought that the sentence broken into bits by separate individuals requires an attention span that demands too much for an advert. An advert should be easy on the ear and eye, requiring little concentration; this requires a little too much attention.”
There has been a lot around in the last couple of days about how wonderful the survival figures are. No mention of the misdiagnosed cases and the 1,000+ women that die every month.
Jeannie
I don’t like it either; I know they need to raise money and raise awareness about the realities of cancer but it’s too close to home isn’t it.
We don’t watch tv often and the one night we decided to turn it on it was there! I was sat cuddled up to my OH on the sofa and on it came; big lumps in our throats and tears down my cheeks, we didn’t say anything just hugged each other. I’ve not turned the tv on since and I think that was last Tuesday. Fortunately my son was in bed and think I’ll stick to watching recordings in the future.
Hi all
My personal opinion is that how can we complain about media representation of bc and our annoyance at celebraties who are so called cured and then critise an advert which clearly expresses our greatest fear and the reason this disease is so hard on us- because will live with the prospect that it can come back.
What we need is a cure, a real testable- cure and it will take money from all of these charities to help us or our daughters get that peace of mind.
I dont want the world to think that because cancer survival rates are better now that we are all fine and once treatment is over then we should just move on. This site is full of women struggling to come to terms with life after bc.
I find watching the advert painful. But them I am on chemo and look like the woman at the end- I could be her one day. But with the help of adverts like this who say it like it is, money will be raised to save more lives and find us all some peace of mind.
debx
I’m going to go against the trend here and say that I like the cancer research ad. It’s a powerful message and very emotive for those of us faced with this disease but I find the “it’s come back” message a useful one. Above all it is a reminder that although there are treatments for cancer and many people live cancer free after treatment the reality is that there is not yet a cure and for the unlucky ones it will rear its ugly head again. If that encourages people to make a donation then I can handle a few moments of upset.
I have just had my last chemo and all being well am finished with active treatment, I hope that the ad may make my friends and family stop and think before they make those remarks about my “being cured”, “getting back to normal” and “putting it behind me”. We all know that we can never be considered cured and have to live with the reality that it could return at any time.
The more funding for research then hopefully the more cancer patients will never have to hear those three terrifying words.
Linda
xx
Already posted once here but just want to add that if it works and raises money and awareness then it’s worth it; I just don’t want to watch it.
I can’t comment on this advert as I haven’t seen it. I stopped watching television a couple of years ago due to The Cancer research ‘Mirrors’ campaign. I am sure you will recall it if you saw it. It was people looking into a mirror and the person that they had lost would appear, like a bride getting ready on her wedding day looking in the mirror. The one that got me was the young boy looking in the mirror getting ready for school and he remembers his mum and sees her in the mirror.
I had a huge run in with Cancer research about this advert and a lot of people found it extremely upsetting. I polled them on a forum. I decided then that I wouldn’t ever give any money even though I have cancer myself. I don’t like emotional blackmail.
The outcome was that the advertising standards agency said that if it was not a charity advert it would not be allowed to air.
I am still feel very passionate about this advert, playing on people’s losses. Yes they need money but hurting people isn’t the way to go about it.
I have metastatic disease and find the advert uncomfortable to watch but completely support the powerful message that it puts across. The lady at the end reminds me how scared i felt when i got my secondaries diagnosis, but probably in part down to the treatments developed by Cancer Research UK im still here with inactive disease and am asymptomatic (i also havent been on chemo since January 2009).
If the advert can help raise money to develop more treatments which will enable more people with secondaries to live longer with a better quality of life then im all for it.
Heather
Daffy, I too remember those adverts and how upsetting they were. My mother died of cancer 10 days after I got married, so it hit a nerve. And the new adverts aren’t comfortable to watch either. But cancer isn’t comfortable – that’s the whole point. When I was dx a lot of people said how many people they knew who had survived it and were still clear. My experience is the opposite, unfortunately. There is a lot in the media about the positive side of cancer now – how survival is better, new treatments etc. And that’s good, because it shows the research is having a positive effect. But many people still die of it and that is the reality. There is a lot more work to be done and that needs cash.
I know we are all very sensitive to these adverts because of our own experiences, but I think they are truthful, powerful tools and, whilst they make me go cold when I watch them, I don’t have a problem with them as I feel they are done sensitively. I agree with you Heather, if it means more people put their hands in their pockets and fund much needed research, then I think it’s worth it. And if it’s too awful to watch, switch over for a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, life in general is full of reminders of our situations and we do have to learn to deal with them.
I would like to make a comment here. At 47yrs young had mx , chemo and now on the rads route. I find the ads very emotional and they upset me every time they are on the tv, but I “do” feel they are important. Macmillan has supported me through the bad bits and like everybody on or off here there work at research and fund raising helps people like you and me. Thankyou Macmillan.
I too agree that they are upsetting but that is part of life. The adverts aren’t aimed at me. I am aware of the issues, i am one of the ones affected. My dad died of cancer 20 years ago this week at the age of 52. He never met my husband or my children. That’s very sad.
I am sure that when the adverts were designed they took into account that lots of people would be affected by it, just decided it was worth the pain to them. I think it is, if it means my children might not have to go through what I have/ am.
When each of them was born I was desperate to breastfeed, but my body let me down and I couldn’t produce any milk. It still causes me pain to see the constant adverts telling me how important it is that I should have breast fed my children, how much it would have protected them. How much i failed them…
Every time I see a motor bike I remember my first boyfriend who was killed at 17 whilst riding his…
I am luckier than a lot of people. My bc is treatable, I live in a wealthy western country, I have support and love on all sides… I count my blessings, even if the advert makes me cry.
You know we complain if its ‘pink and fluffy’,we complain if it talks about ‘the all-clear’ and now we complain that the ad tells it like it is.There will always be someone to complain however a cancer charity words its ads.The really sad thing is the need to advertise at all.
Valx