SOAP STORYLINE HELPS RAISE AWARENESS OF BOWEL CANCER
All eyes at Colon
Cancer Concern (CCC), the
UK’s leading
bowel cancer charity, will be on ITV1’s soap opera Emmerdale over
the coming months after one of its leading characters has told
the programme’s 10 million viewers that she has
the disease.
BOWEL CANCER: THE FACTS :-
- Bowel cancer
is the second most common cause of cancer death in
the UK
- Bowel cancer
is the third most common cancer affecting both men
and women in the UK
- Every
year over 35,000 people in this country are diagnosed
with the disease - that's someone
every 15 minutes
- Every
year nearly 16,000 people die from bowel cancer – claiming
a life every 30 minutes
- If
caught in the earlier stages bowel cancer is very
treatable
-
Between 5 and 10% of all bowel cancers in the UK
are hereditary
- Although
90% of all people diagnosed are over 55 (average
age 70) a significant minority
are younger
- If
you have any concerns don't hesitate to call
the CCC Infoline on 08708 50 60 50
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The news that Diane
Blackstock, the Woolpack landlady in the programme,
has been diagnosed with bowel cancer is a significant
milestone for the disease and brings a traditionally taboo
subject to its biggest ever audience in the UK.
CCC has
been working closely with Emmerdale’s
researchers, scriptwriters and producers in preparation for
the high profile
storyline, they have been very keen to ensure that the issue
is handled sensitively and accurately on prime time television.
The storyline comes as welcome news for CCC, as it helps the
charity raise awareness and increase the profile of a disease,
which has been ignored and misunderstood for too long, despite
being the second biggest cause of cancer death in the UK.
The nurse-led Infoline service phone number, will
appear in the credits at the end of key episodes featuring
the bowel cancer storyline.
THE CCC INFOLINE: 08708 50 60 50
Jola Gore-Booth, CCC’s Chief Executive, comments: “We’re
delighted that Emmerdale has recognised the importance of bowel
cancer and is helping us to tackle the disease through this
important storyline.
“We’ve been very encouraged by how much Emmerdale has involved us in ensuring that the storyline is realistic.
In this way, the programme will show viewers that ordinary
people get bowel cancer; it will help reduce the embarrassment
surrounding the disease and bring it to the forefront of people’s
minds – and rightly so.
Based on a Press Release by "CCC" Dated:
23 August 2004 |
