Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Brave the shave - Macmillan

163 replies

VivienneWestwoodsKnickers · 05/08/2017 16:12

Macmillan is a fantastic organisation, but I'm a little concerned by the new fundraising campaign. Is encouraging people to shave their heads really going to raise more money than the advertising campaign costs?

It seems a big ask, rather than a 5k run, that ice bucket challenge, or an coffee morning.

Is it just me? I can see it excluding a lot of people (including me) who might otherwise have participated in something like less "extreme", so that's a loss of potential money there is it not?

OP posts:
wannabestressfree · 07/08/2017 22:23

Anyone want to see it? It's a biggy (the tumour) and it does have a bag on top. No more graphic than that though :)

gloriawasright · 07/08/2017 22:26

Wannabestressfree
I'm bowing in respect .thats a cracker .Star

Macaroni46 · 07/08/2017 22:45

Just donate if you want to, I don't understand the need for people to do silly shit.

This ^

If you want a donation for a charity just ask, I'll either say yes or no. And in fact, I choose to donate regularly to several charities so don't ask me to tip freezing water over myself or wear a pink wig cos that in itself doesn't raise money or make people better! Angry

Crumbs1 · 07/08/2017 23:07

If there is no lymph node involvement the 5 year survival for breast cancer is actually 99%. Yes there are other cancers with worse outcomes but also cancers with equally good prognosis for most people.

HelenaDove · 07/08/2017 23:17

Crumbs those are excellent comparisons.

Cantspell2 · 08/08/2017 00:10

Lymph node involvement is stage 3 divided into various groups depending on how advanced. With all cancers the lower the stage the better the chance of cure. Most cancers kill by metastasis and a common met for breast cancer is liver and although harder to cure it is still very treatable.

SistersOfPercy · 08/08/2017 00:30

Our local hospice is Douglas Macmillain, and not affiliated with Macmillain but a local charity.
I donate to them personally and am endlessly grateful for the help they gave me to fulfil my Dad's wish of dying in his own home.

I'd hate to think someone wouldn't donate to Dougie Mac thinking they were Macmillain.

That aside, I kind of agree. It's not a campaign I agree with nor would support so I shall carry on helping my local hospice.

HelenaDove · 08/08/2017 00:38

Percy Im sorry about your dad Thanks

Headofthehive55 · 08/08/2017 00:43

arsenic totally agree. I have just had chemo and my hair came out. I don't like the campaign at all.

Morphene · 08/08/2017 00:45

seems almost like cultural appropriation to me.

There seems to be a point when charities are mostly fundraising to support their next fundraising drive. I mean if your money is going to support people asking for money in tube stations, then at least its giving people a job but it doesn't quite seem right to me.

I think there is a place for trying to experience the world from other people's perspectives. I learnt a huge amount just by having to use crutches for a 3 month period, that wouldn't have crossed my mind otherwise, but although losing your hair is indeed shit, it doesn't scratch the surface of the problems faced by cancer sufferers.

Headofthehive55 · 08/08/2017 00:46

crumbs that's only if you have a small tumor. If you gave a bigger tumor even without lymp node involvement it's more like 80% (depends on type if tumor too)

TabletIsSugar · 08/08/2017 00:50

HeadoftheHive, I think that is absolutely key - chemo patients themselves are a bit Confused by this.

And Flowers to you and all the best for your treatment.

Headofthehive55 · 08/08/2017 00:57

Thank you!
Oh and that's the other thing. You are not really cured from cancer. It recurs. no one can tell you if yours will recurr with mets or not.

Crumbs1 · 08/08/2017 08:51

Believe me I'm very aware of the statistics. The most important prognostic indicator is lymph node involvement then receptor status. Size is less of an issue but clearly the smaller, generally the better - my mothers was massive with an 18cm tumour before she admitted there was a problem but oestrogen receptor positive so very treatable. She's still here 24 years later. Mine was much, much smaller but with significant lymph involvement so my adjuvant online results were less favourable - although obviously still here and kicking.

Crumbs1 · 08/08/2017 08:52

And yes you are cured from cancer nowadays.

gloriawasright · 08/08/2017 08:58

Headifthehive55
That's something that cancer survivors have to live with isn't it .the knowledge that it's never really cured ,that it could be hiding somewhere .
And that plays with your mind , no amount of gimmicky charity stunts would ever even begin to give an insight into that .All that BTS gives the shaver an idea of what short hair feels like .

Hulder · 08/08/2017 08:59

Macmillan is absolutely a charity where you have to think - was the service I got paid for by Macmillan?

If you had a good or bad experience of Macmillan, whether that was nurses, dieticians, benefits advisors or whatever, you probably didn't know whether they were on Macmillan's payroll (unlikely) or now part of the general over stretched NHS and Social Services remit.

It's donkey's years since our community team were actually funded by Macmillan apart from some education courses each year. But people's expectations are raised by their advertising campaigns and we will get complaints every year that actually reference the adverts and how we let them down. Or 'can't Macmillan just give you an extra nurse?'

Er, no. Everything we do has to be paid for by the NHS so we aren't getting anything else. Sorry Macmillan gave you a different impression.

HoneyDragon · 08/08/2017 09:12

boredwithmyname they do. My mum had one as she donates after having cancer.

They sent one to my Aunty that my uncle opened on account my Aunty couldn't as she was dying. They only ever had her details after they were referred to them once she was diagnosed so it wasn't a coincidence.

Lilyhatesjaz · 08/08/2017 09:40

I have been reading but not posting for about 4 years and I have joined to comment on this.
I had ovarian cancer, an operation to remove womb ovaries and cervix followed by chemotherapy. The type of chemotherapy I had did not cause hair loss, this meant that several friends and family got the idea it wasn't proper chemotherapy and therefore not proper cancer.
There were other patients having chemotherapy the same time as me not loosing their hair either.
I think this campaign minimises What cancer is it isn't really about hair loss.

NNight0wl · 08/08/2017 14:06

I have done the brave the shave and raised lots of money. That's the easy bit. The hard part is walking round with no hair for weeks afterwards and the strange reactions from people. It was still worth it though!

NNight0wl · 08/08/2017 14:08

I would like to add that I have friends and family who have had cancer. Some lost their hair, some did not. Some are still with us, some are not. The money raised was appreciated

TwitterQueen1 · 08/08/2017 14:58

The hard part is walking round with no hair for weeks afterwards and the strange reactions from people. It was still worth it though!

This is exactly the kind of facile, idiotic statement that makes so angry about this campaign.

Diddums NNightOwl Now try doing it with actual, real cancer. That's the really hard part.

MaisyPops · 08/08/2017 15:43

Agreed twitter.
As if it's in any way comparable.

I'll donate to charities that I am happy to support and I'll continue to support them regardless of silly stunts.

Motoko · 08/08/2017 15:56

Wow NNightowl, just wow. I've spent the best part of 5 years, knowing my cancer is going to kill me. You have no idea what hard is.

Gloria, I've got a couple of pots of Directions in lavender and pink to use. Just need to get around to doing it. Smile

PacificDogwod · 08/08/2017 15:58

Donate. Or don't.
Shave yer head. Or don't.

I too do not get how those two actions need to be linked Confused

But I equally do not get 'Help me raise £x.xxx for my trip of a lifetime to the Great Wall of China for charidee' nonsense either.