My guest this week was Cliff O’Gorman, Honorary Spokesman for the charity Children With Cancer UK.
Cancer is the biggest child killer disease in the UK. Over 3,500 youngsters, including infants and babies, are diagnosed with cancer each year. The number of children being diagnosed with cancer has increased by around 40% in the last 40 years.
The charity started 25 years ago with the tragic loss of Cliff’s brother Paul O’Gorman at the age of 14. The family decided to do something to raise funds for cancer research; they organised a ball, and from there the charity was born. Princess Diana heard about their fundraising efforts and became involved from the start. Altogether they have raised over £150 million.
That money has gone into funding respite homes, scientific conferences and Paul O’Gorman research centres nationally.
Childhood cancers are different from the cancers that affect adults, so they have very little benefit from adult funding. They also have no support from the government.
More research is needed, and huge advancements have been made as a result of the hard work of the charity. To find out how you can help, go to their website at Children With Cancer UK.
