'During chemo, you're more tired than you've ever been. It's like a cloud passing over the sun, and suddenly you're out. You don't know how you'll answer the door when your groceries are delivered. But you also find that you're stronger than you've ever been......You're clear....Your mortality is at optimal distance, not up so close that it obscures everything else, but close enough to give you depth perception. Previously, it has taken you weeks, months, or years to discover the meaning of an experience......Now, it's instantaneous!!'

- Melissa Bank (Cancer Victim)



Having Cancer Is Not Your Choice....How You Respond Is!

Once you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, the decision is yours. Fighting cancer means not giving up. It means understanding that things may change for you and your loved ones and it means having the courage to accept those changes. It means refusing to withdraw from the world. It means a determination to keep on living. The key to living with this disease is to realize that having cancer doesn’t mean letting the cancer have you. Fighting cancer also means finding the best doctors and the most up-to-date facilities to work with you.....and this is what The Royal Marsden Hospital represents.

"Cancer takes away a part of your life, but in doing so, it gives you the opportunity to choose the life you will lead, as opposed to living the one you've simply accumulated over the years."



Androulla Costi (24/05/1951 - 22/09/2008)

22nd September 2008...a date for our family and friends that was marked with a combination of questions ... feelings ... thoughts ... and emotions!! Some of which included, disbelief ... sadness ... relief ... loss ... heartbreak... lonliness ... anxiety ... and the list goes on!!!

Androulla Costi was a warrior among soldiers battling 10 years of what seemed like a lifetime to cancer.

A huge emptiness has been brought upon us since my mother passed away and a sadness that such a thing should happen to the kindest, loving, caring and most thoughtful person we have ever known. We were always behind her every step of the way, taking hour by hour and day by day. No matter what the doctors diagnosed, throughout the different stages of her illness, she always stayed strong and positive in mind, telling us not to worry and everything will be ok, never wanting to upset us and over 10 years of suffering with this disease, she did not once complain. The uncompromised dedication and love for her family was next to none. She was loved very dearly, so much so, that in the final days, some of our closest family and friends were eating, sleeping and breathing with her for a whole week, living in her pain and suffering. For this we are truly thankful to all those concerned, not forgetting the remarkable dedication and commitment of all the medical staff of The Royal Marsden Hospital in their efforts to save her.



The Royal Marsden Hospital

'At the Royal Marsden, we're not afraid of cancer. We learn about it, talk about and most of all, use cutting-edge techniques to treat it.'

The Royal Marsden opened its doors in 1851 as the world’s first hospital dedicated to cancer treatment, research and education. Today The Royal Marsden sees more than 40,000 patients every year, from across the UK and abroad, at its two sites in Chelsea and Sutton.

As a leading specialist cancer centre The Royal Marsden is internationally renowned for its ground-breaking work in patient care, researching new drug therapies and treatment.

· The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with The Institute of Cancer Research, is the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe.

· The Royal Marsden has regularly achieved the highest possible rating in the Healthcare Commission’s Annual Health Check. In 2008, 42 Trusts received double-excellent, but they were the only Trust in the UK to achieve double-excellent for the third year in a row.

· The Trust was one of the first hospitals to be awarded NHS Foundation Trust status in April 2004.

· The Royal Marsden, in association with the Institute of Cancer Research, has discovered or developed more anti-cancer drugs than any other academic research institute in the world.

· Together with their academic partner The Institute of Cancer Research, they are the UK’s only designated Biomedical Research Centre for Cancer – awarded in December 2006 by The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

· The new Drug Development Centre was rated double outstanding by CRUK, the leading independent cancer research organisation.

· They publish The Royal Marsden Manual of Clinical Nursing Practice, the best-selling nursing textbook in the world.

· The Healthcare Commission's Inpatient Survery 2007 showed that The Royal Marsden exceeded expectations in every key area; 94% of patients who responded said they received either excellent or very good care while inpatients at The Royal Marsden (the national average was 77%).

· They were named as one of the six centres of excellence in the UK in the NHS Plan, published by the Department of Health in 2000.

· The Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign has raised more than £45 million since 2004.

RMH PATRON
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen became Patron of the hospital on 3 June 1952. The Royal Family has had a long-term connection with the hospital, beginning in 1910 when the Hospital was granted its Royal Charter of Incorporation by King George V.

RMH PRESIDENT
HRH Prince William

Prince William has been appointed President of The Royal Marsden Hospital, a position previously held by his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. On taking up the position, Prince William said: “I am delighted and honoured to become President of the Royal Marsden and will do whatever I can to
support its innovative and vital work.”



Cancer Statistics

* There are more than 200 types of cancer, each with different causes, symptoms and treatments.
* There are around 289,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed each year in the UK.
* Every two minutes someone else is diagnosed with cancer in the UK.
* More than 1 in 3 people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime.
* Breast, lung, bowel and prostate cancers together account for over half of all new cancers each year.
* Cancer can develop at any age, but is most common in older people. Around three-quarters of cases occur in people aged 60 and over. Around one per cent of cancers occur in children, teenagers and young adults.
* Overall cancer incidence rates have increased by one quarter since 1975 but have remained fairly stable over the past decade.
* There have been increases in the incidence of potentially avoidable cancers such as malignant melanoma (skin), uterine (womb) and kidney cancers.
* Over the last decade the incidence rate of stomach cancer has decreased for both sexes. Cervical cancer in women and male lung cancer incidence rates both decreased by a fifth.
* Worldwide there were around 11 million new cases of cancer in 2002 and a quarter of these were in Europe.
* Cancer is the number one fear for the British public, topping the list over Alzheimer's, heart attack and terrorism.



How many people survive cancer?

* Half of people diagnosed with cancer now survive for more than five years.
* The average ten-year cancer survival rate has doubled over the last 30 years.
* More than seven out of ten children with cancer are now successfully treated.



How many people die from cancer?

* Cancer causes one in four of all deaths in the UK.
* Around two-thirds of cancer deaths occur in people aged 65 and over.
* There are more than 150,000 cancer deaths in the UK every year.
* Every four minutes another person dies of cancer in the UK.
* The overall cancer death rate has fallen by 10% over the last decade.
* More than one in five of all cancer deaths are from lung cancer.



What causes cancer?

* An individual's risk of developing cancer depends on many factors, including age, lifestyle and genetic make-up.
* It is estimated that up to half of all cancer cases diagnosed in the UK could be avoided if people made changes to their lifestyle, such as stopping smoking, moderating alcohol intake, maintaining a healthy bodyweight and avoiding excessive sun exposure.
* Cigarette smoking has been identified as the single most important cause of preventable death in the UK: overall, more than a quarter of all deaths from cancer (including almost 90% of lung cancer deaths) are linked to tobacco smoking.
* Estimates suggest that, in the UK, up to 13,000 cases of cancer could be avoided if no-one exceeded a body mass index (BMI) of 25.
* Research suggests that each of the following increase the risk of certain cancers: alcohol consumption, a low fibre diet, low consumption of fruit and vegetables, high consumption of red and processed meats and higher intake of salt or saturated fats.
* Excessive exposure to UV radiation (from the sun or sunbeds) is the most important modifiable risk factor for skin cancers.
* A small number of infectious agents, especially certain viruses, play a key role in causing certain types of cancer.
* It is estimated that inherited factors cause up to 10% of all cancers.
* Factors such as the age at which a women has her first child and number of children, affect risk of the most common female cancers.

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'Together...we CAN beat cancer!!!'

- Fan Costi

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******NEW CHALLENGE******

**Charity Challenge 2010 - Climb Mount Kilimanjaro**

Wed 25 August 2010 - Sun 05 September 2010


At 5,895m, Mt. Kilimanjaro is one of the largest volcanoes ever to break through the Earth’s crust. Our challenge is to reach its summit!

Our trek starts in the rainforests of Lemosho Glades and heads upwards as we acclimatise on Shira Plateau. From here we will catch a glimpse of our goal, Kibo, Kilimanjaro’s main ice-capped peak. We continue via the beautiful Southern Flank, Barranco Wall and Barafu Route.

Temperatures drop at night, allowing us to enjoy the crisp cool air under the star-studded African skies. During the days we’ll rise higher; often looking down on a sea of clouds.

The expedition has been carefully planned to ensure that we acclimatise as much as possible to the altitude and our chances of making it to the summit are maximised.

The operations teams have one of the highest success rates of trekkers reaching the summit, but don’t underestimate the challenge ahead.

On the final night before the summit climb you shall need to rise at around midnight to commence the final trek in the moonlight up the scree slopes to Stella Point. Your aim is to reach this point by dawn and continue around the rim to the highest point, Uhuru Peak. This is likely to be the toughest day that most trekkers have ever experienced, involving 1,295m of ascent, 2,145m of descent, and 12-15 hours walking.

For more information, please email fan@fcgroup.co.uk or call 07960 27 27 28

- Fan Costi

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Charity Sky Dive

Imagine standing at the edge of an open doorway in an aircraft flying at 15,000 feet - the noise of the engines and the wind ringing in your ears with only the outline of distant fields below. Now imagine leaning forward out of that doorway and letting go - falling forward into the clouds, skydiving down through the air as you start freefalling at over 120mph!

Well imagine no more and make it a reality for an amazing cause. July 2009, an entourage of supporters of The Royal Marsden Hospital will take part in a Tandem Skydive to raise as much money as possible to support its work and vision to improve the patients' survival rate - through new drug therapies, better equipment and new facilities.

And that is why we need your help and support!

Please click the 'DONATE NOW' button below and support us in our challenge, so together we can fight one of the worlds biggest killing diseases and contribute to those who really need our help!!

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