I am delighted to become a patron for Make 2nds Count, you can read here to find out why I am so passionate about this amazing charity. Make 2nds count was founded in 2018 by the incredible Lisa Fleming, a secondary breast cancer patient and daily inspiration to so many. I loved having Lisa and Euan on the mojo injection podcast, where they shared their moving story and sang together for the first time since the diagnoses. It was an honour to be in the room to watch this magical moment. You can tune in here, it is an amazing listen.
The video of them singing went nuts across my channels on Instagram and Facebook. I also saved it onto Youtube which you can enjoy below. What an amazing pair they are.
The team have already raised half a million pounds for vital research and have touched the lives of so many. We hear about breast cancer on almost a daily basis, yet many people have never heard of secondary breast cancer. This disease kills on average 1,000 people every single month in the UK alone.
Lisa shares my passion to talk openly and smash the stigma of mental health. It can be scary to be so vulnerable, but in doing so, it opens up conversations and helps people immensely, sometimes more than you will ever know.
Getting lost in music is incredible therapy and singing is our favourite way of escaping from the storms that life can throw our way. The charity have already put on some incredible events and at Christmas, Lisa took to the stage to sing like an angel with the wonderful Kerry Ellis, the leading lady of West End musicals. Kerry is also a patron for Make 2nds Count.
I am constantly inspired by Lisa, Euan and the amazing team around them. I am delighted to be able to support this wonderful charity.
Make 2nds Count recently launched ‘ Giving Hope’ the UK’s first Hardship Fund aimed at supporting patients with secondary breast cancer, whose households face financial uncertainty as a result of Covid-19.
Patients who have been financially impacted as a result of Covid-19, can apply to the Hardship Fund for a one-off grant of up to £750, to help cover the cost of household bills or the extra costs that living with cancer can bring.
Also known as metastatic or advanced breast cancer, secondary breast cancer occurs when initial breast cancer cells spread to other parts of the body. Although in the UK, secondary breast cancer affects an estimated 55,000 people and kills 1,000 patients every month, this incurable disease fails to gain the necessary awareness and research funding.
For stage IV patients, there is no end to the treatment cycles or hope of remission. Cancer is a daily battle and of course patients are vulnerable to Covid-19 and must shield themselves for 12 weeks, adding additional mental toll to those whose quality of life is already compromised.
Crucially, the global pandemic is also impacting patients’ treatment and scan schedules causing further anxiety and risk. Recruitment for clinical trials into new cancer drugs is also currently on hold due to Covid-19 which further takes away options for patients and will undoubtedly impact future patients for years to come.
If you’d like to help support these new services, you can donate here or for further information on Make 2nds Count, visit www.make2ndscount.co.uk.
Jojo x
Follow her popular podcast here, which is dubbed by her global listeners as ‘free therapy’.
Tune into her daily stories on Instagram @jojofrasermojo and Facebook @jojofrasermojo.
You can purchase her first book here.
