#nomakeupselfies for Cancer Research UK

In six days this UK born viral craze of #nomakeupselfies (women posting pictures of themselves with no make up) raised a staggering 8 million pounds for Cancer Research UK.

The idea behind this is that women post their #nomakeupselfies and men their #makeupselfies on social networking sites along with a caption saying that they donated to the charity by texting in which automatically donates £3 and then nominating their friends to do the same. The success of this trend will enable the charity to carry out 10 more clinical trials.

Viral sensations like this are great examples of not only the power of people on the internet but also the good spirit and kindhearted community that the online community can be.

Cancer Research, who did not initiate this campaign has said that the craze has led to a dramatic increase in the amount of donations that they receive.

Below are some examples of UK celebrities that got involved in this cause!

Left to right: Michelle Heaton, Holly Willoughby, Kym Marsh

Photograph taken from The Guardian

If you would like to donate then please give what you can by visiting the  Cancer Research UK Website.

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The Great Daffodil Appeal - Marie Curie Cancer Care

Having just lost a close family member to a battle with cancer, i'd like to dedicate this week's post to the support and care that the Marie Curie nurses provide for those with terminal illnesses. The nurses and staff at Marie Curie have continually helped us as a family throughout this difficult time and for them to continue to help many more families in this situation they have launched 'The Great Daffodil Appeal' this March.

The Great Daffodil Appeal

Where will the money go?

“We need to raise £10,000 every hour of every day to carry on our work…

Marie Curie has 2,000 nurses in the UK and last year they worked for 1,300,000 hours caring for terminally ill patients, including half of all cancer patients who die at home.

We also have nine hospices and are the biggest provider of hospice beds outside the NHS. In total, Marie Curie spends over £93 million a year on its charitable activities of providing care as well as on research and development. The figure is overwhelming, but so is the comfort that the money can provide.” – Marie Curie

Throughout the whole of March, Marie Curie are hosting the Great Daffodil Appeal whereby they are asking people to make a small donation to this cause and wear a daffodil to show their support. Since I've been wearing mine, I've started noticing so many other people out and about, on the high street and in the shops wearing theirs and showing their support. 

So if you see a collector with a bucket this March, please consider throwing some of your spare change in and start sporting the daffodil! So that you can help the nurses care for more people with terminal illnesses.

Thank you for your support. x

If you would like to make an online donation you can do so via the Marie Curie website.

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International #RareDiseaseDay!

The 28th February 2014 was international Rare Disease Day with over 70 countries across the world hosting events and activities to help raise awareness about rare and invisible diseases. So I thought i'd share some of the events with you! For a full list of events that went on and the success that they had please visit the Rare Disease Day Website.

Official Video

In the UK a variety of events took place on the day including a Coffee morning in London, organised by Advocacy for Neuroacanthocytosis; an information day at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth hospital and  BABPA Charity Dinner in Leamington Spa, organised by NMC Midlands.

Meanwhile in Australia a Cinema Fundraiser Night happened in Tuggeranong hosted by International Society for Mannosidosis and Related Disease. There was also a picnic event in Melbourne and a Cocktail night in Bathurst, all to raise money and awareness for rare diseases!

As previously said, various events happened across the world including Jazz nights in Italy's capital city of Rome and High School assemblys in New Jersey, USA. So please do check out the website for a full list of all of the activities. BUT it doesn't end there. There are also more events to happen in the coming weeks and months in association with Rare Disease Day 2014 so make sure you keep an eye out for an upcoming event near you and keep spreading the word about rare diseases!

#RareDiseaseDay2014

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