Christmas Cheer 2016

2016 has been a crazy year for the World. I know many people are feeling disheartened and worried about what lies ahead for us all. I was inspired to do some fundraising as a way to show people there is still good in the world and that the power does not lie with the people in charge, but it lies with us, the general public. Citizens. If we show kindness and understanding to each other then we can make the world a nicer, safer place for people around us. Little by little.

I firmly believe in volunteering. I was twenty one when I started and it changed my life. It gave me an outlet for my creativity. It developed my compassion and made me realise how fortunate I am. It gave me a circle of friends who share my interests and inspire me on a daily basis. It helps me make a real difference to the world around me.

I am currently in the middle of my latest voluntary project – Christmas Cheer 2016.

I became an auntie for the first time in February this year and I immeadiately became obsessed with my niece, Mia Ariana. Since she came into my life I have become more aware of the fact that she is blessed to be able to grow up in a safe, loving environment. As a family we are able to provide her with material things as well as love. Many children do not have the same upbringing and I wanted to do something to change this in a small way. In honour of my niece, and to start teaching her from a young age to give back and do something to help others.

I decided to split the money between Cyprus and the UK as these are my home countries. My Stepdad works for the Metropolitan Police and takes part in their annual present appeal so I decided to support this cause. I was given a list of fifteen children, their gender and their age, to buy presents for. I also decided to help Crisis with their annual appeal to help the homeless. We will use some of the money to buy food and supplies to help them this winter. In Cyprus I decided to help the Pancyprian Volunteerism Coordinative Council with their “Adopt a Family” drive. So we will use some of the money to buy food and presents for the underprivileged families in Cyprus.

My friends and family were very supportive and in total we raised an amazing GBP618.34/EUR723.85. This weekend we will be going out to start getting our supplies ready for delivery. I couldn't be more excited. Somehow it makes Christmas more special knowing we have helped lots of other families have a nicer one. I will post photos of our supplies when we have bought them!

Let me know if you will be doing something similar this Christmas!

www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/christmascheer2016

Neuroendocrine Tumours

Hello :)

This post is dedicated to a fellow Cancer Campaigns Ambassador, Andy Norris. Andy has suffered from this cancer type for eleven years. He is a very passionate campaigner and I hope this post helps him raise awareness of a cancer type not many people are aware of. This type of cancer comes under the category of “rare cancers” and not much information is available on them. However, I will share everything I have learnt about them with you today.

The Neuroendocrine System:

The Neuroendocrine system is a combination of nerve and gland cells and it makes hormones before releasing them into the blood stream. Basically neuro means nerve and endocrine means the cells of the endocrine system. It is also known as the hormone system as the neuroendocrine system is a network of glands and organs producing hormones within our bodies. Hormones are hugely important as they control how our bodies function, including growth, development, reaction to stress and a wide range of other things.

You will find neuroendocrine cells in many organs including the lungs, pancreas, liver, stomach, both bowels and the oesrophagus as well as the appendix. These cells have different functions depending on where they are with the body. For example, neuroendocrine cells found within the lungs release hormones that control the flow of air and blood in the lungs.

Neuroendocrine Tumours:

NETs are very rare tumours and they develop within the cells of the neuroendocrine system. There are different types of these tumours and these depend on what body part is affected. These tumours usually take years to develop and do not cause any obvious symptoms at first. It is not uncommon for sufferers of this cancer type to discover the cancer has already spread to another part of the body by the time they are diagnosed.

There are some types of benign (non cancerous) neuroendocrine tumours, as well as malignant (cancerous) ones. Usually the benign tumours are more slow growing then the malignant ones.

There are other names for this cancer type:

*Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (GEP NETs) – found in the gut or pancreas

*Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (pNETs) – found in the pancreas

*Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumours (GI NETs) – found in the bowel, stomach or oesophagus

*Functioning neuroendocrine tumours (F-NETs)

*Non functioning neuroendocrine tumours (NF-NETs)

*Carcinoid tumour

Treatment for this cancer type, as with most cancer types, will be dependent on the type of tumour, the stage and grading and whether it has spread to another body part. Treatment can include surgery, chemotherapy or drug therapy.Some of these tumours can also develop outside the pancreas. For example, gastrinomas have been reported in the medical literature to develop in the ovaries, kidneys, stomach and liver, and not just in the pancreas and small bowel area. NETs that develop in the lung are usually carcinoid tumours.

Causes of neuroendocrine tumours:

Not much is known about the causes of this cancer type at present. However, sufferers of rare family syndromes or gene mutations have a higher risk. These include Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1) and Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (VHL). Research also shows that if one of your parents has suffered from this cancer time then your risk of developing it is slightly increased. However, this cancer is very rare so your risk is still very slight even if you have a higher risk.

I hope this blog is informative, and helps Andy raise awareness. Please contact CRUK if you wish to have further information

xxx

Christmas Fundraising 2016

Hello! 

2016 has been a year of bad news. The media is filled with it and many of my friends and family have had some real hard times this year. I think many people will be happy to see the year go. I want to inject some positivity into 2016 as it comes to an end.

Usually my voluntary work is in memory of the relatives I have lost but this time it is inspired by a very special person.

My niece, Mia Ariana, was born in February this year and has become the apple of my eye. Mia is able to grow up in a safe and loving environment, filled with people who will protect and encourage her. Many children do not get to grow up in the same way. 

This Christmas we will be collecting funds to buy presents and supplies to help children and young people who otherwise won't enjoy the festive period like my niece will.

Half the money raised will be used to buy food and presents for families in Cyprus that will not be able to afford them otherwise. They will be taken to food banks to be distributed to those that need it.

The other half of the money will be used to buy supplies to donate to Crisis and The Metropolitan Police Christmas Present Appeal. Crisis will distribute their supplies to homeless people and The police will distribute presents to children who may not otherwise get them. The supplies for Crisis will include warm gloves, hats and scarves as well as snack bars, toiletries and other things to help the homeless. My stepdad, David, works for the Met and will be one of the officers delivering the presents.

I will be spending time with Mia in the UK between 2-5th December and we will go and buy our supplies and donate them that weekend. 

My good friends, Luke and Faye, will also be collecting to donate presents to children in the UK spending Christmas in hospital - https://www.justgiving.com/teams/target250k

Please donate anything you can spare, it's very much appreciate! We will keep you updated with our progress!

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/christmascheer2016 

Lots of love xxx