What started out as a small group of women on a Facebook page talking about their experiences and sharing stories has now grown in almost 18 months to a group of over 500.
Women from around the world who, like me, had been searching for other women to talk to. They share their stories; they offer advice and tips but above all they can empathise with each other because they know what its like!There is still no national dedicated womb cancer charity – but we’re hoping there will be soon. There is a petition running and there are currently over 1,400 signatures. The target is 1,900 – the number of women that are dying each year from womb cancer.http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/wombcancercharity
Since my diagnosis, I have discovered that womb cancer is supposed to be a cancer that post menopausal women get, but I was 46 when I was diagnosed, and there are women in the group who are in their 30’s. Sadly, the latest to join us was just 19 when she was diagnosed!Many of the women say the same as I did – they had never heard about womb cancer.This needs to change!
Over the years, there have been massive awareness campaigns for breast cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer. Well now its time for there to be one for womb cancer. WCSUK can only do so much; what is needed is a nationwide media campaign by a large cancer organisiation or the NHS. Sadly, it would appear that nothing is likely to happen in the foreseeable future, so it remains for us, the women who have had or are still dealing with womb cancer, to do the awareness raising. So we will continue to do so, because we know just how hard a womb cancer diagnosis hits a woman.
Present statistics show that around 8,000 women are diagnosed each year, and the numbers are rising.There needs to be much more awareness of the risk factors and the signs and symptoms to look out for.And it’s not just women who need educating about this. GP’s need to start taking unexplained or unusual bleeding seriously and stop telling women in their 30’s or 40’s that they are too young to get womb cancer.
As many women in our group will tell you; you’re never too young!xx Kaz xx