Story
In April 2019, True Cancer Bodies was founded by Vicky Saynor to build awareness of all cancers, educate the importance of early detection and most of all to be a supportive network to everyone facing a diagnosis, those living with cancer & everyone effected by cancer! The catalyst might have been an ill-thought out campaign - however now, it is so much more. This well-intentioned campaign missed the mark, creating a disconnect with the community it was set up to support. And so True Cancer Bodies was born. In just 72 hours - photographers were booked, space was found, make-up artists acquired. Most importantly 38 true cancer bodies were recruited from throughout the country ready to participate in a photoshoot to help launch their own campaign. Between them they represented 10 different cancers from breast to bowel, multiple myeloma to Ewing’s sarcoma – many of which never get the glossy celebrity endorsements. Their ages ranged from 26 to 57. The invitation was open to ALL. These courageous women & men as well as the support crew, gave their time for free to help #truecancerbodies to show the real face of cancer. The ugly side as well as the beautiful. Since the photoshoot, True Cancer Bodies has received incredible support & love. It has amassed 4,500 followers across its Social Media platforms (in just 7 days the Instagram page alone had over 8,000 profile visits) & has received coverage in a number of major UK publications. BBC London featured the campaign in a short film online & on BBC News. The online video has been viewed over 250,000 times. This culminated in Vicky being invited to appear live on BBC News during the 6 o’clock news as well as on BBC Radio London that weekend. Their reach is growing every day with people getting in contact from all corners of the world to thank them for creating a safe place where they can tell their stories, speak their mind & get much needed support. The closed Facebook community of just over 600 people now includes representatives of over 30 different cancers, with people ranging in age from just 6 years old up to 79 years old. It is collaborating with cancer charities to help raise the awareness of specific cancers each month. There are also collaborations in place selling t-shirts & water bottles – with the companies donating a portion of the price to smaller cancer charities. Going forward, True Cancer Bodies is making itself available to work with corporates, media, NGOs & charities as a sounding board when they decide to portray cancer patients. It wants to work with the amazing charities already out there & spread the word on what people need to do to recognise the early warning signs and symptoms of many detectable cancers. Cancer is not fun, it is not beautiful or fluffy, it is BRUTAL on every level... and if more people could see this, then maybe they would educate and check themselves more!