About the Cause
Cancer is a group of many related diseases that begin in cells, the body's basic building blocks. To understand cancer, it is helpful to know what happens when normal cells become cancerous. The body is made up of many types of cells. Normally, cells grow and divide to produce more cells as they are needed to keep the body healthy. Sometimes, this orderly process goes wrong. New cells form when the body does not need them, and old cells do not die when they should. The extra cells form a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor. Not all tumors are cancerous; tumors can be benign or malignant.
All monies raised at this music festival goes to the Walker Family Cancer Centre in memory of Mike Wilson. Fundraisers like Portstock are so important because the province has funded the new building but no equipment so all monies raised will go directly to an equipment fund.
When you look at the stats below you can really see that how a cancer centre is needed in our community.
- 1,100 new dx cases with cancer this year
- approx 8,000 in treatment, primarily chemo
- approx 15,000 in some out patient clinic relating to their cancer
- the leading cause of cancer in the region for men prostate, women breast.....second for both is colorectol and third is lung which is the fasting increase of cases
- the good news is many of these cancers have a lower mortality rate because early detection and early treatment
- the number of cancer patients being dx from 40-49 is 99 from 50-59 the rates jumped drastically to approx 260...
