I don’t think this is at all helpful from Pancreatic Cancer Action, does anyone agree? Thank you for your response BCC. X
breastcancercare.org.uk/news/blog/response-pancreatic-cancer-action-adverts-i-wish-i-had-breast-cancer?utm_source=Homepage&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=Response%20to%20Pancreatic%20Cancer%20Action%20adverts:%20%E2%80%98I%20wish%20I%20had%20breast%20cancer%E2%80%99
Unbelievable! BC has also been used as a comparator by the Heart Foundation and Prostate Cancer UK, though Pancreatic Cancer Action’s ad is clearly the most crass and insensitive to date. Sadly, I suppose this is what so many of us with mets find; that the general perception out there is that BC is a cancer success story, easily cured and not to be feared, “a year out of your life”, etc… The BC PR job has just been too free and easy with the positive pink spin and shied away from the realities for far too long. Now those of us with mets reap what others have sown.
Thanks for the response, BCC.
Yes my thoughts too, it’s the pink effect. Along with the ‘you get a free boob job and get on with life.’
Wow, I hadn’t seen this either, too busy trying to get my head around my secondary diagnosis and my shortened life span. There are too many people who think it’s ‘just a horrible year but then you get over it’, and don’t realise how many women die every year from breast cancer. Thanks BCC for your response x
Good grief! I wonder who dreamed up that advert. Totally insensative and crass. It’s not a competition to see who has the best/worst cancer. I feel sorry for anyone fighting any cancer - we all just want to survive.
Omg!!! I’m so angry I don’t know what to say!!!Totally shocking ,stupid person who thought that up. Well done BCC for your response
I spoke on LBC radio this morning about this topic, voicing how unhelpful I think it is to pit one cancer against another. I’m not sure how well I put it across, but I stated that as someone diagnosed with breast cancer, I felt that someone “wishing they had breast cancer” was quite insultive. I highlighted that it’s not all about survival rates and that breast cancer survival rates included those living with metastatic disease. I completely agree that looking at survival rates alone, breast cancer has a far higher survival rate than pancreatic cancer - that does not mean however that we should turn all cancers into a competition! It seems to have done the trick though and has grabbed the headlines - I just don’t think it’s for the right reasons.
This topic was discussed this morning on The Matthew Wright Show. (Yes, I own up to watching it for the newspaper headlines).
Kerry, the young lady (aged 24) in the advert ‘phoned in’ to give her comments and also the other lady (Penny aged 51) in the TV advert.
Kerry was saying that if her chemo didn’t work she would have 4-6 months to live. It was ‘herself’ that had expressed the words “I wish I had breast cancer” when being interviewed. The other lady also had expressed the same views during an interview.
At the time of the interviews, they both said that they had no idea their words would be used in the advert campaign. It was only later that the advert ‘people’ asked them if they could use them. Both agreed.
Listening to their circumstances and comments, I could only feel compassion and empathy for them as both were facing the possibility of only living for another six months maximum. Who could deny them their feelings and thoughts of wanting to have a much better survival prognosis!!!
However, in considering the wider perspective and, more importantly, the feelings of all the ladies who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, are living with BC and who have sadly died from BC, I feel the advert is distasteful and provocative.
Yes, Pancreatic Cancer Action needs to raise awareness and fight for more funding BUT please do not use Breast Cancer to make comparisons to gain a higher profile.
Having Breast Cancer is not a ‘jolly holiday in the sun’ or a ‘walk in the park’.
I fully support BCC’s response to the advert and am grateful they have expressed their views on behalf of BC ladies.
M
*Edited to add Penny’s name
I would love to hear if anyone receives a reply from Ali Stunt. A huge thank you from me to everyone who has spoken out about this, thank you for the link EnglishMajor. When I left a comment on the website last night it was waiting to be read by a moderator. I said I understood pancreatic patients have very little choice of treatments, it was a very polite post there would be no reason for it not to be shown on the site. A family friend died of pancreatic cancer a fortnight ago and a friend of mine died of breast cancer yesterday. Both died too soon, too young. Both families are saddened by the loss of someone they loved dearly.
Hello UK BC friends. I wanted you to know that your compatriots from the USA based Facebook BC mets closed chat room heard about the “I wish I had breast cancer” advert and we’re just as shocked and disgusted by it as you are. One of our members is an officer of a national BC mets organization, and she wrote a letter on the pancreatic web site as did at least two others of us, including me. Mine was entered immediately after we’d learned of this debacle of harebrained advertising early yesterday. Only one of our group had her letter actually published on the pancreatic cancer blog. It still stands at only 4 replies to their blog of yesterday. . Methinks they’ve packed it in because of the controversy and aren’t publishing anymore replies.
Our room is only women (and one recently deceased man) with st 4 disease. In the couple of months or so that I’ve chatted there, probably 8-10 of the members have died, including one, a physician we just learned about today, and one beautiful woman who has hospice in her home now, and is posting us her farewell messages via a friend who is typing on the page for her. No one in our group is glad to have breast cancer, that’s for sure.
In the 10 years that I’ve been dealing with st 4 BC, and chatting in BC chat rooms, and being a Helpline volunteer for one of our major US BC education and support organizations, I have ALWAYS said that cancer isn’t a competition. It makes no sense to compare one persons’ story, symptoms, side effects, etc to any one else’. All that that does is diminish everyone. It doesn’t make the person who is currently going through something that may seem harder feel any better, and it contributes to the woman who is judging her own trials as “not that bad” feeling unsupported, not able to be heard, and somehow not as worthy of time and validation.
One of our members is a professional media person, and mentioned that she’s planning a video response about this stupid advert. Listen, I am a nurse of 30+ yrs, and I’ve cared for patients with all kinds of cancers, including pancreatic. It’s a horrible disease, and I don’t think that anyone would begrudge a person suffering with such an illness and prognosis ventilating that they would prefer to have a disease that they believe may have a better outcome than what they’re dying from. But for a marketing company to try create buzz in this way, and a patient advocate organization to go along with it, and to then stubbornly defend themselves in spite of learning that their message is hurtful, divisive, inaccurate and counter productive is beyond the pale. I hope that Pancreatic Action Network doesn’t end up shooting themselves in the foot the way that Komen Foundation in the US has. I thought that you might like to know that our US based group (with members all over the world) is in concert with you, and are making our objections heard, too. Best wishes to you all.
Thank you for all the wonderful responses, it’s so sad to hear one of the ladies in the ad has received hate mail.
I was wondering if there was some way they, PCA, could turn this bad publicity round with the help of one of the breast cancer charities to show how we ALL live with cancer? But it’s wonderful to read all the support here from our friends in the States. I did read the part of the response that was on the PCA site kitlyn and I did wonder if there were parts that had not been posted. I was a part of a closed chat room over here. A number of us set it all up and when we started there were 40+ of us. It was a while ago and we are closing it as there are only 3 of us left. Another lady died 2 days ago. I hope your members have some stability and effective treatments.
Once a campaign is out there if it backfires it can travel far in a click of a computer.
I wrote a blog entry about this a few days ago. inspiringmetastaticbreastcanceradvocacy.wordpress.com/2014/02/05/i-wish-i-had-breast-cancer-advert-by-pancreatic-cancer-action-in-the-uk/
One point I was trying to make was that there are apparently few recognised symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer. However, do researchers ever think about asking the PC patients if there are any other symptoms that they noticed and which are not on the list? On reflection there may be something that the patients noticed, but which is ignored by the official symptom list; something that could lead to earlier detection.
Vicki xxx
PCA, has put their latest official statement on their website , They apologise for any hurt the advert might have caused , but still seem to be standing by the Ad campagin,
The Ad is to appear on Tv, Tube Stations, and Magazines, I think BCCs next Ad Campagin needs to be hard hitting now also , to inform the general public that Breast Cancer is far from the preferable disease to have.
L x :smileysad:
It says they are pleased they have started a discussion. Yes it’s a discussion which is promoting the idea that breast cancer is a minor illness which gets far too much money thrown at it. BCC I really hope you now see the damage all the pink advertising has done by yourselves and others. Your funds will start to dive as I’ve already mentioned who is going to donate to a cancer that is now being perceived as a ‘to wish for’ cancer? We have no cure and most of the general public know so little about secondaries. Friends have died paralysed with breast cancer moving to the eyes, the brain as well as all the more known sites. The message is not out there if it was would breast cancer still be a to ‘wish for’ cancer? The ladies who keep up to date with NICE will know how many treatments have been turned down lately. I know it’s quite a few.
Vicki I read your blog and I’m very sorry to read of your brother. X
Great to read others all think the same of the campaign! I haven’t got secondaries but worry each day about it, I do get that those on the campaign may have those views cos they are in the middle of an awful situation but so are thousands others. It’s the Ali stunt and marketing campaign to blame, they even admit they know it would cause conflict, then why do it, however they sell it as people’s words they have really used those people and knew exactly how people would feel , I’d they seen a b cancer person saying same they wouldn’t like it, I think it’s a worthwhile cause but sadly many like me will have turned odd rather than read hrs symptoms they said the campaign is about! Rant over and posted on their Facebook pAge
There’s a very good article in today’s Daily Telegraph by Dr Max Pemberton. I can’t find it online, I have the paper delivered. This has happened before and normally you can find the article available the next day so I will post it when I can, but Dr Pemberton was at a talk organised by BCC to highlight the plight of us who are stage 4. He mentions how little media attention stage 4 receives and his article says imagine how these women will feel when they see or hear this (PCA) campaign. He ends by writing surely we do not have to descend into a ‘my cancer is worse than your cancer’ competition.
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My father died of pancreatic cancer when he was younger than I am now and never got to meet my wife or any of his grandchildren. However, I can’t imagine that he would have weighed up his pancreatic cancer against my wife’s breast cancer or belittled the possibility that she may not live to see her children grow up.
As he remained positive during the last few months of his life, I am sure that he would have fully approved of women making the most of their lives after breast cancer diagnosis. One of his favourite quotes was the Shakespearean joke “comparisons are odorous”. Very apt here, as the campaign by Pancreatic Cancer Action stinks! It also damages the cause it exists to promote.
I wonder how or when this will all die down? I was hoping the charity might have said sorry we really messed up…by now. Reading Rob’s post I was thinking of some families I’ve stayed in touch with after a friend has died. This must be very hurtful for them.
Yes I read the Mail online. Unfortunately there are some strange people out there, I read some of the comments. It’s the message that will now stick at the expense of all bc patients and will further alienate stage 4 women, Breast cancer is a cancer to wish for.
Thanks PCA.
Hello all: Rob Bearpark here. I am using my wife’s log in code as she was active on the forums a couple of years ago (you may know here as Millikins01). After draining nearly four liters of fluid off her lung she has rallied, so we have her for a little bit longer, although treatment is over and the cancer is now overtaking her lungs, liver, spine, lymph nodes and hips. I saw that someone reposted in this thread the message that I left for this vile organisation, but they continually remove it from their site. I fully understand they are in no way interested in the feelings or opinions of others, but as I am now posting in a community that I know cares about ALL victims of cancer I thought I would add to the message as I did receive a reply from PCA. I wrote back to them to them, but they have not bothered to reply to this second message:
I wrote:
On Thursday, I drove to the hospital to spend my last few days with my terminally ill wife, (hoping she had made it through the night) and wondering if I would be strong enough to tell my 7 year old daughter that Mummy was about to die. With this in my head, I heard news on the radio of this truly sickening campaign. What the hell was Ali Stunt thinking when she created this vile campaign other than "Oh poor me, I have the very worse disease ever and no-one has ever or could ever suffered as much as me”. Pathetic and Sickening!!! I have news for you Ali, other people are suffering too and more so now due to YOU! If you wanted publicity this much and didn’t care who you hurt then she should have used photos of Jews being murdered at Auschwitz, or maybe Princess Diana’s bleeding corpse, then compare survival rates against that. The breast cancer community is strong and numerous, and has been rightly outraged by this. It has always tried to bring all sufferers and carers together against the common enemy of cancer, not childishly attacking other victims. My wife is being killed by a particularly nasty type of breast cancer known as “triple negative”, which has far higher death rates than most other types. At no point have we or would we ever use this against other fighting their own battles.
The website shows that this group gets support from State owned RBS and I am hopeful that the breast cancer community will mobilise to prevent further funding of an organisation so lacking in empathy and care for anyone outside of itself.
Oh yes Ali, my wife’s chance of surviving five years is 0%.
From: enquiries@panact.org
To: robbearpark@hotmail.com
Subject: Our heartfelt apologies
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2014 21:12:53 +0000
Dear Rob,
First of all, I’d like to say how sorry I am to hear that your wife is facing her final days. I can’t imagine what you and your family are going through right now.
I would not want to burden you with our rationale for the advert but can I say it was not our intention to offend anyone.
We wish you all the best in the coming weeks and I do hope you have all the support you need around you.
With best wishes,
Natasha
Pancreatic Cancer Action
Chiltlee Manor | Haslemere Road | Liphook | Hampshire | GU30 7AZ
Tel: 0303 040 1770 (the cost of a local call no matter where you are in the UK)
Web: pancreaticcanceraction.org
Twitter: @OfficialPCA
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PancreaticCancerAction
Registered Charity No. 1137689
Dear Natasha
As to you understanding what I am going through, I do not know you own personal story or fight against cancer you have gone through, but by your reply it is clear that by continually defending your organisation you have no idea of the sickening offence that this campaign has caused to venerable people at their lowest point in life.
Please burden me further with the full rational for your deeply offensive actions (we both know I called it right in my original message- “poor me”!). As I said in that message, more cheap publicity and offence could have been achieved in many other ways, as long as you remember to say “it was not my intention to offend” after every one of the vile comments.
Most of my family have died at a young age of varying kinds of cancer, I rarely bother to remember the type, just that they died of cancer and in all cases, very quickly (my family survival rate over five years is 0%, with most dying within 6 months). I will continue to support ALL victims of this horrible disease, not just the ones that have ruined my life and will never try to score points against others and claim I am the only one suffering. However, some organisations , (such as yours) that look to divide the community, do not deserve funding. The tax payer backed bank RBS bank funds your organisation (at the moment!!!) and I am contacting them to see if they are happy with how their money is being spent.
I understand that as a worker of this organisation, you have no choice but to defend a policy that you realise is WRONG. I do not believe that any person willing to dedicate their time to helping others would ever agree to such a hurtful tactic to gain publicity. Furthermore, the publicity hungry founder of your group is not interested in the pain she has caused and gets others to deal with the thousands she has outraged. There are many other pancreatic cancer charities around that could do your work and I believe that money could be better used to help others rather than upset other cancer victims.
During my wife’s fight I have met hundreds of sufferers of many different cancers. Not one of them has ever envied or belittled another’s fight, just sympathised and understood what we are all going through. I am being supported by various organisations, none of which has treated me any differently because of my wife’s type of cancer.
To let you know, in the evening I was able to inform my daughter of Mummies oncoming death, but it took longer than I expected as I lost control at one point and fell onto the floor screaming for several minutes. You need to be aware that I don’t think that the news would have been any less painful to her or I, had she been killed by another primary, but I’m sure your organisation feels differently…
Regards
Rob