To be sick and tired of the sight of tv Cancer ads???

[TillyMW]

I don’t mean to be dismissive of all the good work these cancer organisations undoubtedly do, but I am sick of the sight of the ubiquitous TV cancer ad!

I’m not sure if it’s just that they are more noticeable to me now I’ve been through the cancer treatment mill - 6 months of chemo and 2 ops followed by daily radiotherapy etc etc, but there seems to be no respite from cancer ads. Have they increased in number/frequency of airing, or is it really just me?

It is difficult enough to have some time free of thinking about cancer because of the anxiety such a diagnosis and the treatment itself causes, and because of the lingering ongoing pain, as well as the havoc it has wreaked on my body, but watching afternoon tv makes it all but impossible to get it out of my headspace.

I think I might be being just a bit extra ranty as my poor much loved dog was put to sleep yesterday and I’m feeling overwhelmingly sad with regular doses of fed upness with these damned ads.

OK, rant over (until the next ad anyway)!

Am I the only one who finds them depressing / irritating / too pervasive? Thanks in advance for your time.

(That was a lot of ‘bombarding’ sorry!)

I’ve been there as well and feel exactly the same.
Lying on the sofa, mid chemo, feeling grim, while a tv advert basically tells you that if you don’t fight it you’re going to die. Cheers, not the best when you’ve not got the energy to sit up let alone fight.

Hate the adverts but hate the aggressive ignorant language they use as well

I've never even considered these ads from a cancer sufferer's perspective before. That must be really hard to watch

As a fellow cancer sufferer I one hundred percent agree with you. They particularly drive me mad while I am listening to the car radio when driving. I thought I was being particularly mean spirited but I am so glad that you posted this op.

Ha ha . Me too.
I also hate the women leak from every orifice ones!

I hate them as well. I lost my dad to a type of cancer thats survival rate hasnt changed in over 40 years. Its the most deadly type with the lowest survical rate and yet Cancer Research only donate 1% of its money to research this type of cancer. Im being selfish because its what my dad died of and im sure there are lots of other people in similar situation. But it pisses me right off when im hearing we need to fight it when there's f all being done to even research it.

I know that Stand up to Cancer is soon, so they may have increased in frequency because of that. Channel 4 is doing a celebrity SAS for it at the moment. It must be awful to have the reminders constantly though. for all of those who are suffering.

I should add i do donate monthly to the specific cancers own charity as i know where the money is going.

It might annoy you to be reminded of Cancer, but those charities want future generations to have kinder treatments, better treatments or not get cancer at all.. I would imagine some of the previous research would’ve benefited your treatment.. why deny others this?

I’m not into denying anyone, but I do wish there could be some sensible constraints so we are not relentlessly bombarded with these ads. It seems many feel this way so in fact if they annoyed people less, they might get more....

Weren’t charities restricted to regarding how often they are allowed to waylay us in the high streets and shopping centres?

I was talking about this with a friend when they had the slogan “One in two of us will get cancer” and was wondering if constantly being told that us and our loved ones will die might induce some sort of nocebo effect? Fear of getting cancer can cause a lot of stress for some people (My mum died of cancer when I was four years old and I now have a four year old daughter so it’s always in the back of my mind) and stress is said to be one of the biggest causes of disease I think. Maybe someone more intelligent than me can give their thoughts on it

Yes, yes and 100% yes. I’ve had cancer and I don’t want reminding every time the adverts come on.

I do think we need to keep cancer front and centre though. As ^pp said, 1 in 2 of us will get it. Drugs and treatment plans are improving and research is absolutely critical. My current treatment is funded by a drugs company.

..flowers for the sad loss of your dog sad

I agree. However, I'm prepared to be told that IABU.
I'm in the middle of cancer with no end in sight and I am so very fed up of it. It would be lovely to just forget about it for a while..

Thank you TwittwerQueen, and I’m sorry you are going through this.

I too am prepared to be told IABU, but it seems the ads annoy a fare few of us. I turn over the tv when they turn up, as does my DP and most people I know do the same or at least groan.

Wow, I just assumed it was soon based on channel 4's programming. My mistake, thanks for letting me know.

I have been through the mill cancer wise. I HATE the cancer adverts, mainly because of the way they are presented. ' we are going to kick your arse cancer' attitude seems to prevail.
'We are going to work to try and find the best possible, kindest cure' would get my money.
Being strong, coming to 'find' cancer and kick it into touch is fecking nauseating. If only I had fought harder, if only I could 'stand up to cancer', perhaps I would not be sitting here with no breasts, no ovaries and a poor prognosis.

No problem with them advertising, but ffs, choose your language wisely. I will die earlier than most, I accept that. But its not because i did not fight.

And before anyone jumps in and says it, i KNOW they are not saying that on an individual basis, but thats how it feels when you are me..

Advertise, appeal - but consider the effect on the viewing public.

I think I wouldn't mind the adverts and campaigns if they were more informative rather than purely emotive. For example, if they discussed symptoms/actions to take - that way they can have a dual purpose. The ones showing someone being told they have cancer are horrible and pointless in my opinion.

MDM felt the same after her cancer diagnosis. They were everywhere: magazines at the doctors, bus shelters and now TV! It's great to raise awareness but sometimes it;s just depressing. My DC get worried about cancer because it's always being spoken about whereas I was blissfully ignorant as a child.

It might annoy you to be reminded of Cancer, but those charities want future generations to have kinder treatments, better treatments or not get cancer at all.. I would imagine some of the previous research would’ve benefited your treatment.. why deny others this?

Maybe if they paid researchers properly instead they may find those treatments sooner?

Every single one of my lab’s PhD cohort left after graduation. Some for pharma, some for the US where post doc wages are 5x those here, some for the NHS, and some for completely unrelated fields.

The UK “brain drain” is largely due to the way cancer research is funded...

Which makes me ask the question how much money is spent on fundraising vs. actual research?