I wish I had breast cancer.??

[belinda]

Think I'm too late and you may have left for your appointment Helen but I hope you hear some good news and the treatments working really well. X

[2catlady]

What next on BC bashing ,we had a certain comedian who was 'absolutely 'disgraceful telling us we wear BC like a badge and not PCA saying BC is great. God help us with getting money for funding now! I hope the BC charities complain to ASA too. And yes cornishgirl that's a fab ad ,I'd hire you. BC is not all happy ever after and we don't ride off into the sunset on pink ponies.
Sorry I'm having a rant again. Off to see onc. In 45 mins to see if treatment working, huge hugs to you all,Helen xxxxxx

[lisaf]

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

[belinda]

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

[spookymoo]

I agree CornishGirl with your comments about how public perception may affect fundraising. I have been appalled at some of the comments people have posted in support of the PCA's ad. It seems, to some people, that Breast Cancer is "pink and fluffy" , easily survivable and treatable. Some people have also commented that Breast Cancer gets all the funding, research and publicity, at the expense of other cancers and cancer charities. This is just not the case. Unfortunately ad campaigns like this, designed to stir up controversary in order to raise their profile and awareness, make sweeping, subective statements which are ill-concieved. Lots of comments say  "Well done your campaign is working" and "Keep up the good work" I do not see that belittling or making light of any cancer diagnosis, or playing one cancer off another is a positive, for any cancer charity or organisation. We should be promoting the "early detection/diagnosis" message pro-actively and positively - for ALL Cancers, and getting the public to petition organisations such as NICE for access to better drugs and therpaies to combat advanced disease of any cancer.  I think BCC have behaved admirably in their positive, respectful response. I have also complained to the ASA.  

[cornishgirl]

BCC  in your next Ad campagin you should make a video featuring people with breast cancer , each person should then quote one of the following breast cancer facts,

Every 19 seconds, somewhere around the world a case of breast cancer is diagnosed among women.

Every 74 seconds, somewhere in the world, someone dies from breast cancer.

In the UK , almost 12,000 women die of breast cancer each yr, that's around 32 women every day.

An estimated 39,510 women and 410 men will die from breast cancer in the U.S every yr.

A case of breast cancer is diagnosed among women every two minutes, and a woman dies of breast

cancer every 13 minutes in the U.S.

The tagline should be, I woundnt wish cancer on anyone.

I worry how all this may affect fundraising , if people think breast cancer is so easily survived these days , may future fundraising be affected?, the fight for a cure for breast cancer is far from won ,  If this Ad remains I cannot imagine how all of us will feel everytime we see this Ad on the television, tube station or in a magazine, This Ad is wrong on so many fronts, PC needs far more awareness, and far more research, as do many other cancers, but is trampling on and making light of another cancer the only way to do this?.

L 

[mickey24]

If they really cared about the hurt they've caused then why not show it by withdrawing the advert? The PCA are trying to defend the indefensible. Shame on them.

[2catlady]

Thanks once again,cornishgirl,for keeping us informed.
OMG!!! I'm still speechless, why wish for another cancer and belittle BC sufferers .Why not wish to be cancer free. Come on BC charities get your act together and tell the public BC is not a walk in the park. I won't see grandchildren,I won't ever get to retirement age, I won't do the things I planned to do with my husband when we retire ,13% chance of living 5 years ,oh BC is great to have,NOT!
Shame on PCA! I don't know how that women sleeps at night.

[cornishgirl]

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, 

http://pancreaticcanceraction.org/community/blog/latest-official-statement-ali-stunt-pancreatic-canc...

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 

[Guest user]

the Pancreatic Action blog has a new post

which says in part:

We are hearing lots of feedback from other cancer sufferers who are very upset by the campaign. We can only apologise for any hurt that the advert might cause them at first glance. This is not the intention. What we are trying to do is create a discussion and a debate to make people realise that when faced with a pancreatic cancer diagnosis and a survival rate of only three per cent, it is not unreasonable for a cancer patient to wish for a significantly better chance of staying alive.

http://pancreaticcanceraction.org/community/blog/latest-official-statement-ali-stunt-pancreatic-canc...

I responded, but my post hasn't yet been approved. My response is also here:

http://ihatebreastcancer.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/please-no-more-disease-olympics/

[2catlady]

I've just sent complaint to ASA online too. Xxx

[mickey24]

I have also sent a complaint to the ASA.

[beanbob]

I have complained to ASA. I hope now that the breast cancer charities will also think about the damage of 'pink' campaigns. There is a perception that it's easy. Women with advanced breast cancer are let down by that.

[cornishgirl]

I hope that the ASA will take action about this awfull Ad, but if they dont complaints can be made to the Charity Commission, details of the Trustees can be found by a search of the charitys name, I cannot believe this Ad was approved for publication.

http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/find-charities/

L x

[StickiVicki]

I wrote a blog entry about this a few days ago.  http://inspiringmetastaticbreastcanceradvocacy.wordpress.com/2014/02/05/i-wish-i-had-breast-cancer-a...

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

[2catlady]

Thank you cornishgirl for commenting on the thread that someone had said'virtually all of us will live' I saw it yesterday but thought I better calm down before I wrote anything.
If a fellow BC sufferers think that god help what the public thinks! Xxxx

[mickey24]

Well said Em (spookymoo), and everyone else that has contributed to this thread. Interestingly, my post on the PCA website has just appeared, after I pointed out that many posts from users of the bcc forum kept disappearing. I've also heard from various sources that the poor girl in the advert is receiving hate mail as a result. I feel so desperately sorry for her. So, not only have PCA alienated all those with a breast and testicular cancer diagnosis, they have also caused a great deal of distress for the brave woman who unselfishly agreed to take part in their campaign. Unbelievable.

[2catlady]

Hi,Belinda, yes,I think that's a great idea for the bc charities to get together with them . As we know from the secondary section BC does not have a happy ever after ending. I pray the public don't think oh BC is ok to have you are always cured and don't support charities for BC as MBC get such a small amount of funding for research to start with.
Helen xxxx

[belinda]

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.

[spookymoo]

Hi Ladies. I haven't posted on her for a long, long while. Been trying to do non-cancer stuff, which is difficult when you are have had cancer / have cancer. Anyway, I,  like everyone dealing with a  cancer diagnosis, any cancer diagnosis, am appalled at this advert.  I cannot believe any one can find these statements acceptable. PCA should hang their heads in shame!

I have posted my comments on their PCA Facebook's page : 

"Really? It's a competition is it? Well I don't recall my consultant congratulating me when he diagnosed me with "its fine its only Breast Cancer." I did not think to myself "Oh goodie. Its a treatable curable disease .No problem. Couple of months treatment - will soon be back on my feet. Hardly will even notice it. And a free Boob job to boot.!" I think I recollect, after the shock and once all the grim news about spread to Lymph Nodes and how aggressive it was and how we needed to throw the kitchen sink at it, I remember thinking "I am going to die. I am not going to make it. And my children will lose their Mum . And they aren't old enough yet to look after themselves. What will become of them?" So I did not think I was lucky to just get plain old, boring Breast Cancer. I did not think to myself "Well I am really lucky I haven't got a serious cancer" Cancer is flipping cancer!!!!! It kills people. I have lost several of my family and friends over the last two years - from treatable, curable Breast Cancer. The fact of the matter is that ANY cancer, if caught early enough, can potentially be treated or cured. Equally it can also spread rapidly and you can die from that or from the horrendous treatment that we have to endure. (6 months of chemo did not work on me. 6 operations - one during which I technically died. And I am now currently having more tests for recurrence/spread)/ I am 44 and have lived with this nightmare for 18 months. And yes, I am lucky that I did not have Pancreatic Cancer because I probably would not be here right now. But I have no guarantee that I am going to make it. My consultant will not guarantee I can make it. Breast Cancer is ....unpredictable to put it mildly. So yes, I guess I lucked out in the cancer stakes. But I would not dare to say, even in my darkest moments, that I am glad I don't have Pancreatic Cancer. I WISH I DID NOT HAVE CANCER. FULLSTOP. This advert is extremely distasteful, crass, insensitive and I am sure I not alone when I say that I find it abhorrent to make comparisons about "good" and "bad" types of cancers. I can't believe you have condoned it. Yes, it will raise the profile of Pancreatic Cancer but probably not in a positive way. Cancer is not a competition. And one type of cancer is not "better" to have than any other. You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

Shame on you PCA. Shame, shame, shame! 

[2catlady]

Hi,like Belinda,I would like to say a huge thank you to the lovely ladies in the UK and our friends across the pond in the USA who have spoken out about this advert. I watched the Matthew wright show on catch up to hear the two ladies talking about it who were featured in the advert,my heart does go out to them and their families.as like ALL cancers it kills and destroyers lives. But I do thing the advertising people should not have include their 'I wish I had...'comment and I think have used these people for their own gain and ignored the fact that it would be hurtful to BC or TC sufferers . One of the ladies who is 24 has been receiving hate mail after the advert. Which is totally awful. The society has got its message across as we are all talking about it,but it's at the expense of breast cancer,testicular cancer and the people on the advert,shame on them!

[kitlyn]

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.

[belinda]

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.

[Magical_Moon]

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

[Guest user]

Hello all,

I am in the US and having been living with Stage IV since 2009.

Another board member shared this link.  I just wanted to say thank you so much for speaking out.

As noted here, (http://ihatebreastcancer.wordpress.com/2014/02/05/pancreatic-cancer-action-campaign-i-wish-i-had-bre... ) we  are all in this together.  As others here have noted ,The  "Disease Olympics" where one disease is discounted if favor of another is a not a good approach. Good science helps us all.

I don't doubt that pancreatic cancer is a harsh disease with limited funds and awarenes. However, I take exception to this group's approach.

At a very basic level, the survival statistics often cited for breast cancer  are highly misleading; one source cited something like 95%;  on the PCA blog they use 85%.

Those numbers  don't explain some important facts:

>Those statistics are for early stage breast cancer; not metastatic disease. 

>People die of metastatic (secondary) disease, not primary breast cancer.

>Survival, mortality and incidence are not the same.

>Mortality numbers tell the story more precisely than survival numbers.

>Screening skews the survival numbers. The more we screen, the more we diagnose and treat people with breast cancers that would not have been a threat to their lives (some DCIS, other slow growing invasive breast cancers, and others that are dormant or regressive); so it looks like survival for early stage breast cancer is 98 percent in the US.  But this is only a 5-year survival number—and includes the 20-30 percent of people who will have recurrence and  die of the disease later.

>The  incidence of stage IV breast cancer—the cancer that is lethal—has stayed about the same; screening and improved treatment has not changed this.

I also don't think PCA grasps that metastatic breast cancer is incurable.

[KAM80]

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.

[cornishgirl]

I too left a comment belinda , and that has vanished too ,I think they don't want to be criticized about the appalling tagline in their new ad campaign , or even to acknowledge any distress that it has and will cause to many breast cancer patients, I just cannot imagine any other cancer charity approving such a ad ,which is so utterly insensitive , pitting one cancer against another is despicable in my view. and totally unacceptable.

L  x 

[Lakeslover]

Well Sid.

The more people who make a formal complaint to the ASA the better.

[mickey24]

I thought I would post the text of letter I sent to Ali Stunt (CEO and founder) of pancreatic cancer action.

Dear Ms Stunt

With reference to the recent advertising campaign by Pancreatic Cancer Action, while I am sure the objective is well meant, I find it totally belittling and distasteful.

I am one of the 55,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer every year, and I lost my sister to it aged 33. The advert clearly gives the perception that breastcancer is a success story - it's not. 12,000 women die from the disease every year and more than 30.000 women have to live with a terminal diagnosis. Many of us not only have to endure harsh treatment but have to cope with debilitating side effects as a result.

There are countless ways that Pancreatic cancer Action could raise awareness of. It's campaign. Did it really think that an advert wishing for Breastcancer was an intelligent way to do it.? You cannot compare one cancer against another. Cancer kills. We all have the same objective and that is to survive.
.
Breastcancer care has issued a statement in response to your advertising campaign. May I suggest that you take the time to read it and the accompanying statements which can be found at the following link:

Http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/news/blog/response-pancreatic-cancer-action-adverts-I-wish-I-had-...

Once you have done so, may I further suggest that you issue an apology to each and every woman and man suffering from this cruel disease by withdrawing your current campaign.

Yours sincerely

Will let you know if I get a response but somehow I doubt it? Michelle x

[2catlady]

I'm hoping advertising standards rap their knuckles over their distasteful advert. I'm shocked it was ever allowed!

[belinda]

I left a post on their site but they seem to have vanished. How on earth they thought it was a good campaign is beyond me.

[mickey24]

I think this is totallly trivialising breastcancer and in my opinion it is unforgivable. I can't understand how the advert was approved. I watched Ms Stunt this morning on ITV attempting to defend the indefensible..... Nobody wants to get cancer, simple, Ms Stunt lives very close by and I have just hand delivered a letter to her expressing my disgust. Sorry for rant but furious is not the word. Michelle x

[Angelfalls]

Excellent points, Belinda. It's time the truth about BC was heard and all the BC charities really have a responsibility to tell it like it is.

[belinda]

Yes I had a look too, shame they had to explain the reasoning and I understand where they are coming from but it's reinforcing the pink stuff. It makes it harder than ever for those of us stage 4. And those going through all the worry, the wait of diagnosis, treatment, staging might have more of a struggle with an unhelpful boss, an unsympathetic work colleague expecting speedy recoveries. Perhaps BCC will start to look at their campaigning again. If breast cancer is perceived as curable now, a cancer to wish for even why would you give funds?

[cornishgirl]

My god this is distasteful , I just watched the video and am so shocked , I've left a comment but it is waiting moderation , I don't know who conducted the PR on that advertising campaign, but in my view  they should be sacked. Really insensitive .

L  

[2catlady]

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

[carolihne]

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.

[Mema23]

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

[geordiex]

I never had recon was more concerned with treatment and living personally just wanted rid ,did everything belt and braces and still came back 4 years later ,even a breast nurse said if I ever get cancer thats where I want it it cos its there ? what a stupid comment to make 😕 xx

[belinda]

Yes my thoughts too, it's the pink effect. Along with the 'you get a free boob job and get on with life.'

[Angelfalls]

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.

[belinda]

I don't think this is at all helpful from Pancreatic Cancer Action, does anyone agree? Thank you for your response BCC. X
http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/news/blog/response-pancreatic-cancer-action-adverts-i-wish-i-had-...