News
Keep in touch with what is going on at Pseudomyxoma Survivor.
Intimate Audrey
We were invited by our patron, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, to the VIP opening reception of the Intimate Audrey exhibition. Intimate Audrey is an exhibition on the life of Audrey Hepburn created by her son, Sean, to celebrate her 90th birthday anniversary in her birth town of...
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I thought I had a hernia
John went into hospital for a hernia operation. Afterwards, he was told that it wasn’t a hernia but a ‘small, bloody mass’. The pathology came back as pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP).
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Shortage of Radiologists
As patients, we are all very much aware of the pressure on radiology departments and the ensuing delays. The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) has today published the Clinical Radiology UK Workforce Report 2018, which highlights the pressures affecting both diagnostic and interventional radiology across the UK.
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Easter Shop
We were so happy to receive this box of knitted items from Pseudomyxoma Survivor friend, Margaret. Knitted by Margaret and her friend Marion, they have donated them to Pseudomyxoma Survivor so that we can offer them to you.
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An Open Letter to Government
Pseudomyxoma Survivor is one of over 125 patient organisations that have signed Rare Disease UK’s open letter calling on the Government to review and refresh the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases. The letter has now sent to Baroness Nicola Blackwood, the Minister in charge of rare diseases, and Rare Disease UK have requested a meeting with her to discuss this further.
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If the mountain seems too big today
A poem was shared in our support group today which reminds us that some days we can’t put a brave face on it and that’s okay.
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How can you help us?
We’ve a number of things that we’d like help with at the moment and we’ll be putting together a fuller description of them all shortly. If you think you can help, please get in touch. If you think there’s something you could do to support those affected by PMP and appendix cancers that we’re not already doing, we’d love to hear from you!
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Can you help us raise awareness of pseudomyxoma peritonei and appendix cancers?
This is a great opportunity to gain experience in a very small charity and develop your existing skills and learn new ones.
This voluntary role is what you make it, offering great flexibility to fit around your time and you will mostly manage your own workload from home. It is a requirement that you are available for at least some time during standard UK office hours.
We’re looking for trustees!
We are now looking for able and motivated individuals to join our Board of Trustees, to help lead and guide our important work. Mainly, we are looking for people who are excited by the work Pseudomyxoma Survivor does, share our values and will play an active part in the work of our Board. Is this you?
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Trustees Week, 16th November
As trustees, we’re volunteers who ultimately take on the legal, strategic and oversight responsibility for the work carried out by Pseudomyxoma Survivor. We take the leadership role in the charity, donating our time to ensure the organisation is sustainable, well managed and delivers impact for the beneficiaries and our PMP community.
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Securing a cancer workforce for the best outcomes
One of the connections we have made this year is with National Voices, the coalition of charities that stands for people being in control of their health and care. National Voice has drawn our attention to a new report published by Cancer Research UK, ‘Securing a cancer workforce for the best outcomes’.
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Sad News
All of us here at Pseudomyxoma Survivor are really saddened by the news that Mr Fulford from the Christie has passed away. On behalf of all of us and our support group members, we pass our condolences to the team on the loss of a man that changed the lives of so many. To quote Mr Aziz, “The world is a poorer place without you, Paul”.
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Trustees Week 14th November
One of the recommendations of the Charity Commission, the body that regulates charities in the UK, is that charities work with other charities. This is extremely important to the trustees of Pseudomyxoma Survivor and key to a lot of the things we do.
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Trustees Week 13th November
Being a trustee can be very rewarding. As a trustee, you would have an opportunity to support and shape the work and strategic direction of Pseudomyxoma Survivor. You also have the chance to make a significant difference to a cause that matters to you. You...
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Trustees Week 12th November
Here at Pseudomyxoma Survivor, we’re supporting Trustees Week, running from 12th-19th November, showcasing the work trustees do and highlighting opportunities for you to get involved and make a difference. We’ll be looking at different aspects of being a trustee and we’ve asked our trustees to share their thoughts on being a trustee.
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Mr Omer Aziz
Mr Aziz is consultant colorectal surgeon at The Christie, one of Europe’s largest comprehensive cancer hospitals. At The Colorectal & Peritoneal Oncology Centre (CPOC), he specialises in complex minimally invasive (keyhole) and open surgical techniques to treat early, advanced, and recurrent tumours of the appendix, colon, rectum, and anus, including those that have spread to the lining of the abdomen (peritoneum), for which he performs cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intra-peritoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). He is also a member of the medical advisory board for Pseudomyxoma Survivor.
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Thank you
We are very privileged to be able to make family grants and it is thanks to the hard work of our fundraisers and donors that we have been able to do so.
read moreWest Yorkshire & Harrogate Cancer Alliance
I am finally getting round to informing you all of my recent visit to West Yorkshire & Harrogate Cancer Alliance. We were invited by Cancer 52 and the meeting was a great and informative one.
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Virgin Money London Marathon 2019
How exciting! Pseudomyxoma Survivor is privileged to have been awarded just one Silver Bond place and we are giving you the chance to take part in our ballot to win this place for the race on April 28th 2019. Whether you missed out on the ballot or have decided to run for a charity, this is your chance for a space in this amazing race.
All you have to do is email hello@pseudomyxomasurvivor.org by midnight on Friday, 19th October and tell us the following:
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Professor Norman Carr
Currently, the Director of Research and Consultant Histopathologist at the Peritoneal Malignancy Institute in Basingstoke, Professor Carr is a leading expert in the complex pathology of pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP). He has published over 70 papers in the peer-reviewed literature and written two textbooks for undergraduate medical students as well as several book chapters. He contributed to the 3rd and 4th editions of the World Health Organization Classification of Tumours of the Digestive System and is presently working on the 5th edition.
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I’ve gone from 0km to 10km in just over 6 months!
In 2015, I had cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC for pseudomxyoma peritonei. To thank Pseudomyxoma Survivor for all the support I was given and all the friends I have made through the charity, I’m doing the Southend 10K to raise funds for the charity. I would have been so alone and desperate without the charity and I cannot thank you enough x
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Multi-disciplinary Diagnostic Centres
Through Cancer 52, Pseudomyxoma Survivor has received a special invitation to view a multi-disciplinary diagnostic centre (MDC) in action. MDCs are being trialled here in the UK and they are set up so that patients who present with non-specific symptoms can go to a one-stop shop and have all of the tests they require to help with a diagnosis.
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PSOGI 2018
Pseudomyxoma Survivor representatives once again attended the bi-annual Peritoneal Surface Oncology Group International (PSOGI) conference, this time it was in Paris. The PSOGI aims to “improve the treatment and survival of peritoneal cancer patients by educating patients, by training physicians, by organizing meetings and by performing basic and clinical scientific research into peritoneal cancer and the different treatment modalities”.
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An evidence-based approach
The BMJ defines evidence-based medicine as:
“the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients”
It’s a constantly evolving definition and at Pseudomyxoma Survivor, we always look for scientific evidence to back up suggested treatment plans for pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) and appendix cancer patients.
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Gearing up for PSOGI 2018
The PERITONEAL SURFACE ONCOLOGY GROUP INTERNATIONAL conference (PSOGI2018), now in its 11th year, is almost upon us. I can't quite believe it's been two years since we attended the one in Washington DC! PSOGI is a non-profit organisation which aims to...
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We need your stamps!
You can now donate your used stamps to raise much-needed funds for Pseudomyxoma Survivor. All kinds of stamps are welcome, on or off the paper.
Simply cut or carefully rip the postage stamp from the used envelope, being careful that you don’t damage the stamp, and once you have a collection pop them in an envelope
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Update from our Chair
Following on from the two successful patient days held at Basingstoke Hospital and The Christie, I have been busy attending meetings with Cancer52, Eurordis, National Voices and I secured a bursary place at the Public Health England Conference in Manchester in June....
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Cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) survey
Can you help build a better understanding of patient awareness about thrombosis? New patient survey launched across Europe (including the UK).
People with cancer have a higher than normal risk of developing a blood clot – a condition known as cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT). Yet it remains under-reported, seldom discussed and often misdiagnosed.
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The disease was actually growing out of my belly button!
I do an exercise class and I was having trouble keeping up and my belly was growing with no changes to my diet. In my head, I was thinking that was just signs of perimenopause and that was my new figure. Some women just have a muffin top at 44, right? I was also going to the restroom for frequent urination. I was under the care of a urologist for that at the time of my diagnosis with pseudomyxoma peritonei or PMP.
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Supporting The Christie Colorectal & Peritoneal Oncology Centre Prehabilitation program
We’re very happy that we can support The Christie Colorectal & Peritoneal Oncology Centre Prehabilitation programme as a result of your fundraising and donations. This program will be looking at the use of wearable devices to get patients ‘fit for surgery’ before cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC).
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Authors posting articles on our blog are patients and family caregivers who write their articles with the goal of sharing their experiences fellow patients and their families.
As survivors and carers, information here is from our perspective – we are not health care professionals. We are all individuals, everyone is different. We recommend that you take advice from your doctors for specific information.
Feeling inspired?
We hope our blog has inspired you and perhaps you have a story to share – let us know if it has. You can leave a comment on a story or you can contact us with yours.