To be disgusted at cancer research adverts?

[Gracey1231]

Okay so my amazing father passed away January 2015, he had NHL in the lung stage 2, and after being told his chemo had really shrunk the tumour, it wrapped itself around his pulmonary artery and he had a pulmonary haemorrhage in outpatients on the way for his 2nd chemo

The adverts are really getting to me, where it shows the patients. All I can think of is poor families who have lost someone that day or been diagnosed coming home turning on the TV and seeing it. I know they need to raise awareness, but I feel like this is emotional blackmail and unfair to people.

I know it sounds vile, but AIBU?

If you are talking about Cancer Research UK specifically, the funding is for public policy work, not for their research.

And they do have their own research facilities as well as providing grants.

As fun as it is arguing the minutiae, maybe just turn the TV off when the adverts come on if you don't like them?

YANBU. Nan died of after years of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, a double mastectomy and total lymphectomy. She weighed 4 stones at the end, and finally fell out of bed and died of her injuries.

The rationale is that people need to be shocked into making a donation. But they don't. Thats just one way to do it.
I also loathe the 'fighting' language. Lets beat cancer! Yay lets do it! There are far too many people who think that ill and disabled people are like that because they dont try hard enough.
'Support people who have cancer' would be enough IMO.

I hate the language 'winning' 'fighting' 'battle' 'beating' when it comes to cancer. Its like if you die, you failed, you lost, you didn't try hard enough.

I feel the same way about the British Heart foundation ads...my dad died 2 days before my 21st birthday 30 years ago...and in actual fact more people die of heart disease than cancer
However both these charities depend on appeals to raise money for research cos the NHS sure can't fund it
I now work in cancer research and know only too well how devastating a diagnosis is but to say that if you don't 'fight it' you won't be cured is also a rather poor analogy

Couldn't agree more with you OP, also with others saying you don't need to be shocked into a donation. It's not the right approach IMO.

I felt the same way about the stopping smoking ads as listening to someone struggling to breathe or having a coughing fit reminds me of my dad's struggle with emphysema. (he lost).

Speaking of Water Aid (upthread) I really like the new ad where they convert office space into toilets. Very clever and catches your interest.

My daughter's leukaemia ended her life. But not the way you think. She was treated with decades old drugs because the research into paediatric cancer is next to nothing , for CRUK, it's only 4%. This protocol ravaged her young organs. The only way to try to save her was allogenic stem cell transplant. Another round of intense chemo. As a result, her body could take no more. She developed pseudomonas infection in her lungs and died of respiratory failure.

My own kids turn the channel for me when their fucking ads come on.

I'd like to feature my child in an ad, CRUK, want to take me up on it?

It'll have to be photos because she's dead now. I have plenty of smiley ones of her with no hair and NG tubes and Hickman line in place. And plenty of where she is now - her grave.

Until you start to put your money where you mouth is and dedicate more to paed cancer research, as long as you still feature kids in your ads (notice how they're all 'Well, she's fine now'?), then you won't get a fucking penny from me.

YANBU to be upset 💐

However, they raise much needed funds that more palatable adverts do not. The funds are very much needed to prevent others going through the same misery as we have.

I have lost several close family members & friends to cancer. My cousin is young & currently going through treatment.

When I lost my Dad to a heart attack the British Heart Foundation had just launched their ' Dad - I need you' campaign. Lots of adverts, lots of posters. I really felt I couldn't escape it. The ghost Dad advert finished me off. I record everything now & fast forward all the adverts. This doesn't help with the radio or posters though.

You know what upsets me more now though? Pubs etc advertising Fathers Day for MONTHS before the event. That's pure commercial gain with no social benefits.

Cancer & other health adverts though - I think it's something we just have to tolerate for the greater good.

'However, they raise much needed funds that more palatable adverts do not.'

No, they don't. They give most of it to breast cancer research and hardly any to paed cancer, brain cancer, pancreatic cancers.

That was my daughter! My child! She was 9 fucking years old.

4%. 4% of millions and millions of pounds.

YANBU I muted one of these adverts 5 minutes ago. I know exactly how shitty cancer is, thanks!

As fun as it is arguing the minutiae, maybe just turn the TV off when the adverts come on if you don't like them?

What an extremely bitchy thing to say. There's no fucking 'fun' in any of this. As soon as the advert starts you are taken back to the reality of your situation, you don't have to watch the whole fucking thing to be totally floored by it. Fabulous that it doesn't affect you, but don't you dare minimise the effect it has on others. Just don't.

Hate the 'fighting' talk too - obviously if you can get treatment then great, if not (it's too late), then it doesn't mean you've given up. My DM certainly would've Had treatment if she could've. In fact I think the one radiotherapy she had killed her off sooner than if she'd just been given palliative care.

I do entirely see where you're coming from but I feel that with social media now there's an element of desensitising in our society in general.

There are things shown publicly that I'm positive (but happy to be corrected!) wouldn't have been widely seen 10-20 years ago. Live footage from shootings for example. Children washed up on beaches.

I think one of the results is that ads need to be really in your face to get a shock factor. Unfortunately.

@TheLastHeatwave I chose to ignore what she said but thanks for pulling up on it too, silly cow

It does effect me. But I'm only thinking of myself. I looked into who to donate to very carefully when I lost 5 - yes, 5 - members of my close family within 18 months. The amount the adverts raise, for me, outweighs the fact that they are upsetting. Please get off your high horse, just because I don't agree with you doesn't mean I haven't been affected by the disease in question.

Expatinscotland - am so sorry about your daughter. The research into childhood cancer is so small, hopefully it will increase X

Expat. 💐 I was on your threads xx. I still light a candle for A. I know that doesn't help you, but I just want you to know she hasn't been forgotten by many of us.

I didn't say it went to paed cancer, I said it raised more money, and it does. It's a different discussion re which research it funds. 4% is nowhere near enough, but the more money raised the more money it gets.

Name calling, how mature

You're just picking at small points of an arguement you don't agree with. It is fucking horribly sad how many people it effects but the adverts do raise money. The charity does make scientific breakthroughs. It's an emotional topic but I have to look at the fact that they work.

Anyway, have a good day.

Speaking as one who knows she will die from her Stage 4 breast cancer, Zombie loathes these ads.

penelope. IF it affected you in the same way it affects some other oeople then you woukdnt have said pd 'just turn it off' because you'd know that by then the damage was done. Too late. It's great you don't feel the same, but have some compassion for others who are more affected by the adverts.

I didn't say you weren't affected by cancer, I'd be surprised if anyone here hadn't been, my reply was re the adverts, not the disease.

Zombie💐 I've been on your threads (I name change a lot now since the MN hacking, never used to). I'm sorry you have to deal with these ads on top of everything else.

I have my own reasons as to why I'm bitter, but I'm glad it doesn't affect you Penelope, you are incredibly strong, I mean that sincerely too. But it does affect me, I don't like it, I don't like the usage of words to describe cancer "fights" and if you die you didn't "fight" hard enough. My thoughts are, if cancer is as common as they say then why do they not take into consideration people's emotions. It isn't very fair. I appreciate that they need to shock us into donation, but shock us with facts, not a little lad with a bald head and a PICC line into his nose, it's fuckin horrible.

YANBU. I hate the adverts and I don't donate as a result.

Zombie you are so brave. I've read your threads but never posted.
I hate the implication of fighting cancer. It implies that you can fail through lack of effort.

I started giving them money when my mum got sick a good few years back. They used it to send me leaflets every week or two asking for more. I complained but it didn't stop. Now they get fuck all from me.

@OnceThereWasThisGirlWho - I can assure you, they're not actors, these are completely real people - with cancer - during completely real situations. Nothing was staged. We filmed so much footage just to get these 'moments'.