A campaign, aimed at raising awareness of pancreatic cancer, has been criticised for suggesting that patients wish that they rather have breast, cervical or testicular cancer.
The “envy” campaign that was created by
Pancreatic Cancer Action and features real pancreatic cancer patients:
http://youtu.be/IDU1XEAWkxE
People took to social media to voice their anger at the campaign, with some calling it "abhorrent", "disgusting" and "disgraceful".
“Can I just say how appalled I am at your latest awareness campaign”
wrote Michele Muir, on the organisation’s Facebook page.
“I find it disgusting that you have slogans 'wishing for breast cancer'. No cancer is bearable regardless of the survival rates and people are dying in hundreds each day from a range of cancers" she added.
“A number of my friends and family have been affected by and battled cancer and I have lost friends and family to this horrible disease in a number of types. I would ask that you remove the advertisements and offer an apology to the hundreds and thousands of people that this will surely have offended. I understand awareness must be raised by I truest object to the content of this campaign.”
Chris Askew, Chief Executive of Breakthrough Breast Cancer,
told The Telegraph: “We strongly dispute any message which suggests that one type of cancer is preferable to another.
“We believe Pancreatic Cancer Action’s recent campaign does just this. I’ve yet to meet a man or woman with breast cancer who would consider themselves in any way fortunate to have received a diagnosis.”
Ali Stunt, the charity's founder, justified the campaign, telling the
Daily Mail: "When I was diagnosed I was horrified to learn the survival rate and actually found myself wishing I had a different type of cancer.
"I understand that any type of cancer is a horrible, horrible disease - not least metastatic breast cancer [that which has spread] - and would not wish cancer on anyone.
"But there are patients with pancreatic cancer who would prefer to have another type with a better prognosis [such as breast or testicular].
"82% of patients with pancreatic cancer will die within a year and the average life expectancy is four-six months."
Stunt was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer back in 2007 at the age of 41.
"Awareness is key to early diagnosis and this is particularly true for pancreatic cancer" she added.
"In our case, despite the best efforts of ourselves and other pancreatic cancer organisations, for 40 years, pancreatic cancer patients in the UK have faced the same grim prognosis."
