Whilst football is obviously an important part of all of our lives, somethings just help put everything in perspective and makes us realise that in the grander scheme of things, football is just a game.
Vital Arsenal member ‘PureGold’, aka Daniel Deyong, is about to embark on an expedition to Everest Base Camp in Tibet to help raise funds essential to helping battle cancer, and he needs our help.
Daniel needs to raise a minimum of £2850 in order to participate in this challenging trip, so we need to get donating.
The following is an extract from the Teenage Cancer Trust website explaining the degree of the problems around the country, how the organisation came about & what it aims to achieve.
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The facts
Each day in the UK, 6 teenagers will find out they have cancer. That is over 2,200 new diagnoses each year. More often than not, these young people get a raw deal, receiving hospital treatment in inappropriate facilities alongside children or older people. In many cases, cancer in teens is not picked up early enough and symptoms are dismissed as growing pains or sports injuries. Because teenagers are undergoing growth spurts, their cancers grow faster than other age groups and they can be at greater risk.
Cancer is more common than you think – it is the most common cause of non-accidental death in teens and young adults in the UK. By the age of 15 you have a 1 in 600 chance of developing cancer. By the age of 24 you will have had a 1 in 285 chance of developing cancer. In the last 30 years the incidence of cancer in the teenage and young adult group has increased by 50% and for the first time ever, the number of teens with cancer now exceeds the number of children with cancer.
Teenage and young adult patients in this age group have particular needs that are different to those of adults and children. They need specialist care because of the rarity of the tumours they get and also for the particular psychological and social problems they experience. Their lives are changing; moving from education to the world of work and to have cancer on top of that can be a very difficult time for them.
History of TCT
Teenage Cancer Trust grew by chance, out of the eagerness of a group of women to organise a fashion show to fund a children’s intensive care heart unit at Guy’s Hospital, London.
The show was a resounding success and the women, high on the adrenalin of triumph, were ready to take on the world. Little did they know – they had!
A mother of four sons approached the group to ask them to consider the plight of teenagers with cancer. Unfortunately, she had discovered the issues for herself, when one of her sons developed cancer at 13. He was treated at times in a children`s ward or alongside old people – both experiences that made the harrowing time far worse for him. His consultant was invited to address the group of women and pointed out to them that not only did young people have to face the trauma of cancer, its treatment, and isolation from their peers at a very sensitive stage of life, but also they tended to get rare cancers.
The work of TCT
The charity focuses on the needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer, leukaemia, Hodgkin`s and related diseases by providing specialist teenage units in NHS hospitals. The units are dedicated areas for teenage patients, who are involved in their concept and creation. Medical facilities on the units are second-to-none and they are colourful and vibrant environments, equipped with computers, TVs, game consoles – places where friends and family feel comfortable to visit.
To date, TCT has built 8 units in London (2 sites), Leeds, Liverpool, Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle and Manchester. We are also in discussion with an additional 15 trusts (see map). It is anticipated that the concentration of medical expertise within these units can improve chances of recovery by 15%. Units are costing over £1 million each to build and TCT must complete at least 20 units in the UK so that every teenager and young adult with cancer in the UK has access to these facilities.
Since TCT was established, the charity`s work has expanded dramatically. As well as an Education and Awareness team with a vibrant schools programme providing information, education and advice that reaches pupils all over the UK, we fund and organise a multidisciplinary forum for professionals to ensure information and best practice sharing. We sponsor a teenage conference, Find Your Sense of Tumour, an International Conference on Cancer and the Adolescent and have just appointed the world`s first Professor of Adolescent Cancer Medicine.
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As a start we here at Vital Arsenal have promised to donate 25% of our next Vital Network paycheque, or £125, which ever is the greater amount!
Of course Daniel will be on the trip of a lifetime and will be experiencing something very few get experience…..so we want something for our money. In exchange for our donation, Daniel has agreed to take a photo at the foot of Mount Everest with a sign saying ‘hello’ to all our Vital Arsenal members!
You don’t even need to be an Arsenal fan to help, fans of any club will do.
Click Here To Make A Donation
Click Here To Visit The Teenage Cancer Trust Website And Read More Information.
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