Living with cancer remains a widespread problem in Northern Ireland. You may be shocked to read that cancer now affects one in two people. Over 12,000 cancer diagnoses are made in Northern Ireland every year.

Those affected by cancer can stay silent. When someone calls our NurseLine, they are breaking the silence and are maybe taking the first step in talking about cancer. So we need to keep answering every call.

It costs £22 per hour to keep our NurseLine operating. That's £22 that could give a cancer patient a voice. With a gift of £22 today, or whatever you can afford, you could help answer one or more of these calls.

Our NurseLine is the only local cancer support line operated by experienced cancer nurses. It is a safe place where anyone in Northern Ireland can discuss their anxieties about cancer, safe in the knowledge that their call will be taken seriously and treated with professionalism and integrity.

Ruth told us she rang our NurseLine after her daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer. "After Lucy told me she had cancer, I was devastated. I wasn't really surprised that she didn't want to talk about it; we never really had that sort of relationship.

"After her successful surgery and during her chemotherapy, I was filled with anxiety and felt helpless that I couldn't be there for her when she was at her lowest. I had so many questions that needed answered; but no-one to talk to. I wanted to help my daughter.

"I knew I had to act; I was told about Cancer Focus NI's NurseLine by a colleague and decided to make the call later that week.

"After the few calls that I made to NurseLine, my relationship with Lucy improved and I became more involved with her cancer journey.

I have no doubt that if I hadn't called NurseLine things would have been very different now; I owe the cancer nurse at Cancer Focus NI so much. "

It can take courage to call the NurseLine. If someone like Ruth calls us and we can't answer the call, the caller may talk themselves out of ringing back. In some cases, this can mean cancer related questions may remain unanswered and concerns left unshared.

This year is Cancer Focus NI's 50th anniversary and while local people may be more aware of cancer because of all our work, the number of calls to our NurseLine still increases. If even one call goes unanswered, it could mean that someone affected by cancer doesn't receive the support they need. If your donation today enables us to help a family member, neighbour or friend, surely that's worth it.