Charity Begins on the Net

If you or a loved one is suddenly faced with aHelp", which allows any one interested to get
diagnoses of cancer and you're not quite sure what itinvolved.
all means or what it entails, you're bound to feel aMarie Curie Cancer Care was established in 1948,
great deal of fear and confusion. There will probablywhich makes it one of the oldest and one of the
be uncertainty thrown in as well just to mix it all up alargest organisations in the UK. There are more than
bit. Your doctor will probably have explained things to2700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare
you but it is more than likely that you were notprofessionals caring for 25,000 cancer patients, free
taking it in. So what are you options now? Well thereof charge. This means that they need to raise more
are many organisations out there that offer servicesthan 100 million pounds annually to maintain their
to the community, or the world at large, regardingservices. These services include running 10 hospices
the dissemination of cancer information; they alsoacross the UK, 2 centres for palliative care research
provide support and care. It may feel like it, butand the Marie Curie Research Institute, which looks
these organisations are here to prove that cancer isinto the causes and treatment of cancer. They are
not the end of the world; it is merely a newstrong proponents for patients to be able to make
beginning.the decision to be able to die at home rather than in
Cancer Backup is an organisation that gives patientsa hospital bed. Statistics reveal that 70% of people
and families up to date information, practical advicewould rather die at home. Instead more than 50% of
and support. They aim to reduce the fear andcancer patients are still dying in hospital beds. 70% of
uncertainty that surrounds patients and their familiesall their income, that means 70% of 100 million
on first hearing that they have cancer. It was startedpounds, comes from individual donations; the rest
in 1985 and originally started out as a national cancercomes from the NHS.
information service. It soon developed into so muchOn an international level there is the International
more. It was started by Dr Vicky Clements-JonesAgency for Research on Cancer, which forms part of
after she went through her own cancer experiencethe WHO. It was formed in 1965. The major goal of
and realised that there was a need for a service suchthe IARC is to identify the causes of cancer in order
as she began to provide. The website includesto adopt preventative measures. The emphasis of
information on symptoms and side effects, eatingtheir research is on epidemiology, environmental
well, relationships and communication, if someone elsecarcinogenesis and research training. They do not
has cancer, advanced cancer, practical issues,focus on treatment at all. Their research ideas are
organisations, UK patient information guide. There arebased on the notions that 1) 80% of all cancers are
articles for the site, treatment guidelines andlinked to environmental factors and that makes them
information on controversial and difficult topicspreventable 2) epidemiology plays a major role in
written especially for doctors. Nurses who work forcancer prevention and in the evaluation of prevention
the organisation provide information and support viameasures 3) geographical variations in cancer reflect
email, telephone and letter to more than 50,000differences in environment and international research
patients and their families annually. The site offersis ideally placed to study this relationship between
loads more including a section on "How You Canman and his habitat.