Thursday, 1 August 2013

Dawn Green - Pseudomyxoma Peritonei Awareness Month 2013

I cannot believe we are in August already! Time is flying by! Life is so busy and chaotic at the moment but it is also very exciting! I am trying to find some time to dedicate to researching posts for this blog so please use the newly installed contact box should you have any ideas or wish to write a guest post!

August is Pseudomyxoma Peritonei Awareness Month so I wanted to use today’s post to try and shine a light on this very rare cancer type. My work with Cancer Research UK allows me to meet some incredible people and not many people are as incredible as the beautiful Dawn Green, a PMP fighter. I love Dawn and think she is absolutely amazing so this post is dedicated to her. She is literally Wonderwoman and I am in awe of her.

In 2008 Dawn was diagnosed with Pseudomyxoma Peritonei. 

Pseudomyxoma Peritonei is a very rare type of cancer that usually begins in your appendix as a small growth, called a polyp. Or, more rarely, it can start in other parts of the bowel, the ovary or bladder. This polyp eventually spreads through the wall of your appendix and spreads cancerous cells to the lining of the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum). These cancerous cells produce mucus, which collects in the abdomen as a jelly like fluid called mucin.

Dawn was given just three months to live and the cancer was so rare that her doctors didn’t know much about it at all. Whilst fighting the disease Dawn noticed a distinct lack of emotional support for people fighting this form of cancer. 

Dawn decided to set up a charity to help others in her situation. Pseudomyxoma Survivor aims to provide emotional support for anyone dealing with this type of cancer and to prevent anyone feeling alone or isolated during their fight against the disease.

The charity fundraises and raises the profile of PMP whilst also funding research into the disease. Dawn is an incredible patient advocate for all survivors, and this results in increased awareness and higher survival rates worldwide.

If you would like to know more about this type of Cancer or Dawn’s charity then please check out her website, I will post the link below. If you are interested in getting involved then I’m sure she’d be happy to hear from you!

A cancer diagnosis is terrifying, especially when it’s a very rare cancer such as this one. More needs to be done to understand these rarer types of the disease so cure’s can be found and people can be saved. Dawn recently found out that her cancer has returned but thankfully it is slow growing. I wish her so much luck and I am sending so many positive thoughts and lots of love her way. I think Dawn is incredible and the World needs people like her. She is a tough cookie and she won’t let cancer beat her. We’re all with you every step of the way beautiful Dawn.


xxx


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