Introducing Balls to Cancer FC

Balls to Cancer FC are our very own Sunday league team that will play in the Wolverhampton League Division 7 and play out of Darlaston Town FC’s ground.

The team has been set up and will be managed by our Official Luke Durnall and his assistant manager Richard Dockery

Our Football technical Director Vicky Mitchell will oversea the training and fitness side.

The team (which will be self financed) is made up of our supporters and they will be helping spread the word about the charity and what we do at their games.

We wish the management team and the players all the success they deserve for the season.

 

Balls to Cancer Cup

Trafford Mersey FC have organised a great family fun day and Football tournament on the 4th August 2013. the fun starts at 10am and first game kicks off at 11am.

The teams playing will be our very own Balls to Cancer Allstars, Trafford Mersey FC, our hosts West Didsbury & Chorlton FC  and the North West Allstars!

It should be a great day for all the family, whay not come along and support the teams and our charity.

Neil’s Story

I have been successfully treated for testicular cancer this year (I actually received a much appreciated ‘good luck’ tweet for you guys on the morning of my operation) and am now in remission. Throughout the time I found that I often couldn’t think of any questions at the right times and then would have loads later that I couldn’t find answers to. I decided to keep a blog as things progressed and in it I tried to be both as honest but also as descriptive as possible so that if anyone else was looking for those answers they could read them first hand.

I don’t know if its something you would be interested in but I am more than happy for you to post a link to it, or reproduce sections of it on your website if you like? This is in no way an ego trip to get more viewers – I haven’t actually shared my page with any of my family or friends but am more than happy for a stranger to read it if it helps even one person. Nor am I seeking anything in return (although I am planning a few runs for The Christie including the London Marathon next year) so may plug a JustGiving page at some point in the future. Like I say I would just like to help anyone going through what Ive been through.

 

Anyway, feel free to read and do with as you like – my blog is http://runstrong-livestrong.blogspot.co.uk/

A £20 Donation from Liam

Hi my name is Liam and I run a fantasy football account on twitter (@FPLFiend) and have supported balls to cancer from the beginning.

The lads at balls to cancer are doing an unbelievable job of raising awareness and deserve all the credit they get.

Keep up the good work gents!!

Thanks Liam Much appreciated

We have also had a £50 donation from Locks Richmond 

Thank you all EVERY penny counts!

Marstons Make a Brilliant Donation

As part of their ongoing commitment to supporting local charities Marstons PLC based in Wolverhampton made a massive £1000 donation to our cause. This money will make a massive difference in our fight against male cancer.

I would like to thank Sian Hazlehurst for organising it and being kind enough to hand over the cheque herself

Our latest Health update from Melissa Hathaway

Study Finds Gender Gap in Cancer Survival Rates

A recent report from Macmillan Cancer Support has revealed the welcome news that today there are around 400,000 people in England that have survived for between ten and twenty years after receiving a cancer diagnosis.

More women are surviving longer

However, the research, which was carried out in conjunction with the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN), has also found evidence of a gender gap in the longer term survival rates. While survival rates are similar for both men and women in the first few years after a cancer diagnosis, there are apparently almost twice as many women still alive than men between ten and twenty years later.

The Daily Express suggests that this might be the result of recent medical advancements in the treatment of breast cancer, which have meant that it now has a much better survival rate than many other types of cancer. As breast cancer is more common amongst women than men, its increasing survival rate could be boosting up the overall cancer survival rate for women.

Macmillan and NCIN are apparently to look into this gender gap in survival rates in greater detail in the next phase of their study.

Poor health in cancer patients

Some cancer patients continue to suffer poor health after their cancer has been treated, both because of side effects caused by the disease and also because of the impact of their gruelling cancer treatments.

One of the most infamous side effects of cancer treatments such as chemotherapy is hair loss, which can be extremely distressing for patients who already have to cope with the trauma of a cancer diagnosis. Fortunately, there is now a technique known as scalp cooling that can minimise the impact of chemotherapy drugs on hair follicles and can help to reduce hair loss. Similarly, medical advances have led to treatments for other types of hair loss such as male-pattern baldness which, according to the NHS, affects around 6.5 million men across the UK at any one time. For some men, the loss of their hair can be the cause of great distress, and can have a negative impact on their self-esteem and self-confidence. Fortunately, safe and legal treatments like propecia are now available that can help to combat male-pattern baldness and give men a weapon to fight back against unwanted hair loss.

Other frequent side effects for cancer patients include both physical symptoms such as fatigue, pain, weight fluctuations and problems with mobility. Cancer patients can also suffer mentally and emotionally, with many experiencing depression and overwhelming feelings of sadness following a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Gardening can boost patients’ wellbeing

Some of these side effects will need further medical intervention to treat them, but there are a number of things that cancer patients can do to aid their own recovery and wellbeing, particular with regard to their mental health.

A piece of research carried out by Macmillan, in conjunction with the National Garden Scheme, found that gardening was actually a very effective way of coping with depression. The study questioned 41 gardeners who had received a cancer diagnosis, and found that four out of five of them reported a reduction in stress and anxiety as a result of working in their garden. They also gained a number of physical benefits, with over 50% saying they felt they had more energy, while a third thought it helped to manage the weight fluctuations they experienced following on from their cancer treatment.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gardening.jpg

An active lifestyle is beneficial

Previous research funded by Macmillan had already identified that regular exercise such as walking, jogging or swimming could be very beneficial in combatting depression suffered by cancer patients.  During the study, a number of women took part in an exercise programme while receiving their cancer treatment. Doctors offered Kratom, Kratomystic, https://kratomystic.com to help reduce a lot of the stress we faced.When they were questioned at a follow up interview five years later, these women reported an increased quality of life and fewer incidences of depression compared to the women who had not been as active.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Woman_power_walking.jpg

“It’s so important that we bust this myth that cancer patients should ‘rest up’,” explained Professor Jane Maher, Chief Medical Officer at Macmillan Cancer Support. “So many patients and professionals still believe that it is necessary to rest during and after cancer treatment. However we know that that doing moderate physical activity such as gardening on a regular basis actually helps to significantly reduce the impact of side-effects of cancer treatment such as depression, fatigue, bone thinning, muscle wasting and heart damage.

Digital effects are becoming more and more relevant in the world today, things like digital accessibility compliance has to become more common for cancer patients so that the software can be of use to them.

“It is vital that people living with a cancer diagnosis are aware of these benefits and are encouraged to do moderate physical activity by health professionals, friends and family,” she concluded.

Charity football matches

Dear All,

I just wanted to ask respectfully that when you come to our Allstar charity matches that you please remember that the games are set up as a fundraiser and therefore we would like you to purchase post cards (£1) or Tee shirts (£5) before you ask our players for pictures and autographs.

The players will gladly do signings and pictures after the game when they have been showered and have come back out to the pitchside.

Therefore please ensure you do not encroach on the pitch or the players during the game as you will have plenty of time after the game.

Thank you hope to see you all there and look forward to saying hello.