Pharmacy chain MediCare, which has branches in Downpatrick and Newcastle, has raised a fantastic £10,000 for Cancer Focus Northern Ireland’s Think Pink! Campaign that funds potentially life-saving breast cancer research at Queen’s University Belfast.
 
During October, MediCare branches across Northern Ireland held Pink Party Day fundraisers that saw staff hosting a variety of different events including coffee mornings, dressing in pink and pamper parties.
 
The money raised from the Pink Party Day’s will be invested in local research at Queen’s University, Belfast. The research, funded by Cancer Focus NI and led by Dr Kienan Savage, focuses on both the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

Colin Deehan, Professional Services Manager with MediCare Pharmacy Group, said: “I would like to thank all the MediCare staff and customers who worked so hard in organising and participating in the many fundraising events that happened in 2014
 
“We are delighted to be able to help contribute to Cancer Focus NI’s Think Pink! Campaign and to the important research it funds. This research project has the potential to make an enormous difference to the lives of many local women and we’re very proud to be able to support that.”
 
Maeve Colgan, Head of Income Generation, Cancer Focus NI, said: “The money that MediCare staff and customers raised will go a long way to help continue our important breast cancer research work and we can’t thank them enough.

“Last year, our Think Pink! campaign raised £30,000, which helped researchers at Queen’s to discover that there may be an alternative treatment to surgery for women with the mutated BRCA1 gene - it’s these women who have an 85% risk of breast cancer, and up to a 40% risk of ovarian cancer.

“At present, many of these women – like Holywood star Angelina Jolie – face the difficult decision to have surgery to remove their breasts and ovaries to avoid cancer. This new research could change all that and help so many local women.

“This pioneering research wouldn’t be possible without funding from the general public and companies like MediCare so we are very grateful to them for their support”.

For more information about Cancer Focus NI please contact Eoin Treanor at eointreanor@cancerfocusni.org or call 028 9068 0758.  If you have any concerns about cancer please call the free Cancer Focus NI helpline on 0800 783 3339.

Pictured (L-R) are Colin Deehan from MediCare Pharmacy Group with Suzi Colledge and Suzanne O’Loughlin from Cancer Focus NI, and Dr Kienan savage Cancer Focus NI Research Fellow.