Families in the news
Here are some of our members' stories about how they have raised awareness through the media. For more links to members' stories in the news see our latest news.
Retinoblastoma Awareness Week champions
During Rb awareness week in 2011,CHECT members stepped up to the mark by lobbying their local and national press to help raise awareness of retinoblastoma.
Darcey Fryer-Bovil became one of the stars of the week, appearing on BBC Online, the Telegraph, London Tonight, BBC World Service, BBC London Breakfast radio and Five News among others. It was an exhausting week for Darcey, undergoing chemotherapy at the time, and for mum Ali, who welcomed camera crews into her home and attended radio interviews.
But thanks to Ali's commitment and efforts, she managed to spread the Rb message around the world, to literally millions of people, after her story was used online and shared on global websites.
Katy Bishop has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of Rb since her son Owen was diagnosed with the bilateral form of eye cancer. Appearing in numerous articles in her local press, Katy targeted her regional television stations, highlighting the CHECT campaign which the mum-of-five has spearheaded.
Her relentless campaigning has played a crucial role in pushing the case for amendments to the personal child health record to include more information on signs and symptoms of retinoblastoma.
Katy said: "I'd never done press work before and was really nervous to start with but the journalists I dealt with knew how important it was to get the message out there, which made me feel a lot more relaxed about the whole thing.
"Whether it's TV or papers, they will edit everything so don't worry if you fluff your words, they use the best bits and won't make you look silly.
"The fact they are asking for your story is enough to know they have your best interests at heart."
The ride of their lives!
The crew of the first ever Childhood Eye Cancer Trust Ride2Raise managed to help spread the word along the route of their gruelling cycle challenge in June 2011 – from Brighton Seafront to Exeter Castle.
Eight riders, some more experienced than others, set off with some trepidation in the wet and windy conditions that blew along Brighton seafront on Sunday morning. At every stop they spoke to the public about the cause they were supporting and why it was so important to get the message out there.
Tim Watling, support member at Ride2Raise, kept an excellent Ride Diary.
