PEOPLE across Gloucestershire are being urged to back a new fundraising campaign as latest research reveals that one in two people in the UK will develop cancer at some point in their lives.
The figures were released by Cancer Research UK to coincide with World Cancer Day last Wednesday.
To tie in with the campaign the charity is urging people to buy a 'Unity Band' from Cancer Research UK shops like the one in The Oxbode.
The wrist band, which is available in a range of colours, is made of two parts which form a knot to represent strength in unity.
Thanks to research, the UK's cancer survival rate has doubled over the last 40 years and around half of patients now survive the disease for more than 10 years.
But, as more people benefit from improved healthcare and longer life expectancy, the number of cancer cases is expected to rise.
The new research which estimates lifetime risk shows that one in two people will be diagnosed with the disease.
When Tracy Rowley from Gloucester went to the doctor about a lump, she was told – 'people under 40 don't get cancer'.
Six months later she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Thankfully, following treatment, Tracy recovered.
Now she and husband John, the rock who got her through it, are joining forces to ask people to show their support for cancer patients with the World Cancer Day campaign.
Tracy, now 44, and John, aged 46, are hoping others will want to wear the band with pride too.
For them, it represents the power of people joining together to support research and crucial new discoveries which will help more people like Tracy survive.
"That's why we both support Cancer Research UK and are now encouraging everyone to get a Unity Band," said Tracy.
"John lost his mum to stomach cancer and my dad has recently been diagnosed, so we wanted to acknowledge them in the message on our arms."
Currently in the South West around 30,200 people receive the devastating news that they have cancer every year.
