We're officially a registered charity!!
RCN - 1204795
We stand with the aims of providing support and holding events to raise money to provide free services for those affected by cancer and their families
From 2018-2023, whilst operating as a non-profit organisation, we raised £30,480.26 for other cancer charities!
Find out more about our Founder's Story here!
Check out our latest Supporter Fundraiser! Declan will be doing a DOUBLE BUNGEE JUMP in October in aid of Unmask Cancer 🩷
Check out the Just Giving page linked below to read his explanation to doing his jump and too provide a donation
Poppy The Brave 🧡
Find out more about the little girl who has stolen the hearts of not just the Unmask Cancer team, but thousands of others across the world!
On this page you'll find her story, our support for them this year and also a link to their GoFundMe to help creating forever memories as a family of 4 ❤️
Check out what events we have upcoming this year!
October and December will be seeing a couple of new events specifically designed for families - especially the little ones - to enjoy all together 🥰
Help us support those going through a tough time due to cancer this Christmas!
Visit the page linked below to see how you can help us in the best way to suit your personal plans this Christmas 🎄
Visit our shop, and check out all the items we have available for you to buy! All proceeds get used to help make the charity bigger and better!
Find out why Unmask Cancer was set up, the story behind us as a charity and our founder's story about her own cancer diagnosis in 2018
"In November 2017 at the age of 32 i was in the bath when i found a lump in my right breast, i waited 2 days to see if it was anything to do with hormones, if the lump would change or go away, when it was still the same 2 days later i knew it was time to see the Doctor. I got an appointment that day and after feeling the lump the Doctor told me she wanted it checked out at the hospital. 10 days later i had my appointment at Kings breast department, i saw the Doctor who was pretty certain it was just a cyst but sent me for a Biopsy and a Mammogram anyway and told me to come back a week later for the results.
One week on and we were back in the Doctors office for the results, i already knew deep down what those results were going to be but even so hearing the Doctor say '' I'm so sorry but you have breast cancer'' still came as a shock, my first thought was 'but what about Sean and the kids' I was then told i had a stage 1 tumour 1.8cm in size and grade 3 which is the fastest growing cancer and would need either aggressive chemotherapy followed by a lumpectomy which is surgery to remove the lump or surgery and then a less aggressive chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy and 5 years of hormone tablets as my cancer was boarding being hormone receptor positive. We then went on to meet the lovely Gillian who was to be my breast care nurse, at this point my mind had gone totally blank and i couldn't take in anything she spoke to us about, thank god Sean was with me asking all the right questions.
I found my lump very early and because i went straight to the Doctor it made the whole process of treating it so much easier.
We waited until 2 days after Christmas to tell the kids, that was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life, they were amazing about it and have continued to be, i cant imagine how it must of felt at the ages of 11,13 and 14 to be told your mum has breast cancer but they have made me so proud.
Everything was put into action very quickly, I had my lumpectomy in January and started the 1st of my 4 chemotherapy sessions in February. I have now had 3 chemo's and have my last one on 25th April followed by 4 weeks of radiotherapy everyday Mon - Fri. I have lost my hair but lucky it has now grown back almost to pre cancer length, cant say the about my eyebrows though I was left with a few stands of hair and that's it but its all good as i found a wonderful beautician who does the most amazing microblading, she was actually recommended to be by another cancer warrior and it was one of the best decisions i ever made to have it done. You can't even tell my brows are not real hair. I have had some really tough days health wise after chemo but i am so so lucky to have caught it early, it hadn't spread, treatment began quickly and it was all removed or destroyed through surgery and treatment all within the space of 8 months. I now take a tablet called tamoxifen everyday which is a form of cancer hormone treatment and will be taking that until 2028.
I still have many health problems due to the severe side affects of treatment, i am in pain every single day and rely on lots of pain meds to get me through each day. I am currently having scans to see if we can find whats causing this pain, for many of us cancer really doesn't end when you get the all clear, it hangs around making its mark on your body and mind for years to come. Another affect of treatment is i have severe anxiety and PTSD, I have found the mental side affects are just as bad as the physical and after speaking to many other warriors this is something a lot of us warriors deal with but don't receive half as much support with and that needs to change. This is something I would like to work on in the future by creating my own charity.
Planning these events is a real help to me, it takes my mind off the pain and anxiety and although yes it can be very stressful at times knowing i can help make life a little bit easier for others is always worth it, that and the fact ts always an amazing night and so much fun.
Having breast cancer has made me grateful for so my things especially my family and friends, I can not and will not ever be able to thank everyone enough. I have had so many amazing messages from so many lovely people, even complete strangers and each one i have appreciated more than i can say. They say every cloud has a silver lining and being able to hold these nights raising money for cancer charities to help those affected by cancer is my silver lining.
I want to raise as much money as possible and hope you will all help me do that and be a part of something special.
Last year I was officially 5 years into remission which is a big milestone to get to and to celebrate, I held 2 events. The Men's football tournament and my 5th ball - The Winter Wonderland Charity ball.
So far I have raised over £30,000 for other cancer charities. Now a registered charity (as of September 2023), I can officially fundraise for my own charity that I started in 2018, and have since grown with now my 5 trustees and more helpers along the way! And the charity can begin making steps to becoming a well-known charity which can help other individuals as well as their loved ones who are affected by a diagnosis. A diagnosis affects everyone around, not just the diagnosed 'patient' - Jo, Breast Cancer Survivor and Unmask Cancer Founder 2024
Surrey National Golf Club, Rook Lane. Chaldon, CR3 5AA
We've been dying to bring back the 80s since beginning this journey and we're finally here and we don't knowhow to contain our excitement! W...
Surrey National Golf Club, Rook Lane. Chaldon, CR3 5AA
Bromleians F.C, The John Cooper Ground BR2 8LL
More information will be coming very shortly!!
Bromleians F.C, The John Cooper Ground BR2 8LL
Bromleians F.C, The John Cooper Ground BR2 8LL
More information will be coming very shortly!!
Bromleians F.C, The John Cooper Ground BR2 8LL
Bromleians F.C, The John Cooper Ground BR2 8LL
More information will be coming very shortly!!
Bromleians F.C, The John Cooper Ground BR2 8LL
Bromleians F.C, The John Cooper Ground BR2 8LL
More information will be coming very shortly!!
Bromleians F.C, The John Cooper Ground BR2 8LL
Unmask cancer is a charity that has been set up to provide free services and support for those affected by cancer whether warriors have just been diagnosed, are going through treatment or are in remission and their families.
Through our founder's own cancer experience and during her years in remission she had noticed so many!
Jo is someone who has been through the hell that is chemotherapy and the side effects it can bring on.
We plan to create chemo kit bags full of things to help ease with some of the side effects, products to help pass the time during your appointment as you can often be there for 9 or more hours and practical items to help keep track of appointments, medications, notes for your oncologist and some comforting products.
Having to travel to and from life-saving treatment can be very expensive.
Many hospitals do not have many parking spaces and you never know how long you're going to be there so parking may work out a lot more than you expected to pay and public transport is also costly. With all the correct confirmation from hospitals, we would love to be able to give people money towards their travel to help take that worry away from them as a lot of the time the patients are not able to work or their partners stop working to look after them and money becomes a real issue.
We would like to offer patients and their families counselling at any time.
From the personal experience of our founder, this is one of the biggest things lacking in a lot of hospitals.
Some people need that help as soon as they are diagnosed and others won't need it until maybe after treatment has finished or even later down the line and may need it for years and years after. When cancer cells are no longer inside your body it does not mean the effects it has had on you have gone. Months or years can go by and then you start to experience anxiety, depression, PTSD and so much more what our founder has found from support groups and talking to people on social media is their families were offered no mental health help at all which is so sad as they go through this with you and it can affect them just as much as you but often its a case of them feeling they have to be strong for you and not dhow how affected they are which then only builds up and can have very detrimental affects longterm whether that's your partner, kids, family members or your best friends. So much more needs to be done for mental health, there is just nowhere near enough support for this out there but we would like to be one extra person who can help with this and luckily we have someone on board willing to help with this already but we know this another of the long term goals as so much official preparation will need to be done before hand but it is one of our biggest goals and it will happen
No matter if you have a double or single mastectomy, a lumpectomy, or some other kind of surgery for breast cancer no one should then have to go out and spend their own money to buy the correct support bras to help them heal. If you have a single mastectomy you may be fine with having only one boob remaining or you may want a prosthesis to fill out the other side of your bra Unmask Cancer really wants to help with that and help you feel as comfortable as possible without worrying about costs.
Most hospitals or Macmillan centres offer you a free wig on the NHS if you have lost your hair due to chemotherapy but not everyone likes these wigs and prefer to buy their own but again why should you be spending money on something because cancer cells decided to attack your body and you have had to go through harsh treatment to get rid of it.
There are so many places offering amazing wigs these days and a lot of them are not much more than £30 although they can be a lot more expensive but as a charity after speaking to your cancer team we would give you vouchers or money to buy wigs to give you that little bit of confidence back.
Now this is another long-term big goal but one day we will be able to provide real hair wigs, this may start with children and young adults, and hopefully, with enough funding we can make it possible for adults too even if it has to be at a reduced cost. Luckily Unmask Cancer has an excellent hairdresser who has been planning on taking a real hair wig-making course for a while and she would love to team up with us once she is qualified and start providing kids with real hair wigs.
In time it would be so lovely to arrange local meet-ups so people can share their experiences, give tips and advice, or even talk about any other than the C word but know they have a group of local people who understand and are there for them.
Thank you for wanting to donate! Providing a donation of any amount helps us out massively which not many people may understand. Every penny counts from donations, our products and our events when helping those who have been affected by cancer.
We need donations and sponsorship to help put on events to then be able to distribute money towards different aims we have set such as distributing chemotherapy kits to patients, setting up counselling sessions for families affected by cancer and so much more!
Long Lane Football Club, Dursley Road. Kidbrooke
A fun day where 5 men's teams battled it out to become the Unmask Cancer Charity Football tournament winners with lots of inflatable fun fo...
Long Lane Football Club, Dursley Road. Kidbrooke
Surrey National Golf Club, Room Lane, Chaldon. CR3 5AA
A fantastic night full of winter wonder and magic! We had our incredible DJ return once again, as well as our founder doing her very first s...
Surrey National Golf Club, Room Lane, Chaldon. CR3 5AA
Long Lane Football Club, Dursley Road Kidbrooke
A fun day where 4 men's teams battled it out to become the Unmask Cancer Charity Football tournament winners with lots of inflatable fun for...
Long Lane Football Club, Dursley Road Kidbrooke
Surrey National Golf Club, Rook Lane. Chaldon. CR3 5AA
A fun night of glitz and glam, dinner, dancing, auction, raffle and so much more
Surrey National Golf Club, Rook Lane. Chaldon. CR3 5AA
Surrey National Golf Club, Rook Lane. Chaldon. CR3 5AA
A fright night of fancy dress, dinner, dancing, auction, raffle and so much more
Surrey National Golf Club, Rook Lane. Chaldon. CR3 5AA
Don't Miss Out On The BTS Gossip and More!
Copyright © 2018 Unmask cancer - All Rights Reserved.
RCN - 1204795