Does anyone else dislike the Macmillan Brave the Shave campaign?

Hi Silverglades

This is pretty much verbatim I think to the response I had when I commented through the Brave the Shave Facebook page.

They keep missing the point that when I originally started this thread it was about encouraging and using other ways to raise money in their campaigns - people are desperate to help and will jump on any initiative and use it. 

The thing they miss is the juxtaposition of their purpose in caring for and supporting cancer patients - and having a campaign that distresses the very people they are helping.

I'm hopeful of getting on the cancer voices in due time - interest registered - to be part of the more in depth consultation on this issue they promised us in their second response in this thread.

I think they have finally got the message - and it was reinforced by a huge level of support from people who feel like us after my post on their Facebook page too.

Totally agree Judy. Im 2 years past treatment and can cope with weepy cancer films, all the ads for jump off things, cycle, bake or anything else out there but don't get why anyone would want to push the lets show we understand card by shaving our heads its rather sick to be honest don't mimic me any more than if I gave you money to stick a needle in your arm and try the chemicals. Your not making me feel better or getting a better understanding. If they want to raise money raise in other ways, if they want to give an idea of how it feels have short clips of how I felt when I lost my eyelashes, nails came off or any thing else but don't pretend they now know how it feels. The one thing I find most of a reminder of all the s... is seeing others in scarfs and knowing what they are going through, seeing a lady with short cropped hair and thinking that was me, it reduces me to tears. Even my husband reacts to it. Maybe its different when treatment is further away and maybe I will desensitise, maybe the people on the panel already have reached that point....but many of us haven't and no money raised is worth the mental torture these ads or seeing the fundraisers shaved heads put us through.

Well said jannie13 I have breast cancer and am having surgery so no chemo or radiotherapy but I find the brave the shave campaign highly offensive and I only have short hair. Macmillan have got this completely wrong.

Hi Judy,

Thanks for your reply. I was wondering if anyone from this forum was either on or could join the 'Cancer Voices' team so it's great news that you might be able to get everyone's views across this way.  I also Tweeted to Macmillan that they should turn it into a 'Brave to Apologise' campaign. The Twitter team haven't responded to that one but let's hope this will be the final year of 'Brave the Shave'.

Sorry to bother you all again but while typing my previous post, I received this reply from Cancer Research UK.  I'd emailed them as well as Macmillan because, although they don't have an aggressive Head Shave campaign, 'Head Shave' is given as an option for fundraising on their website. I'd say their response was much more sympathetic than the one I received from Macmillan but it doesn't seem to acknowledge the fact they do give Head Shave as an option. Here's the response:

I was very sorry to read about the distress caused to you and other survivors by Macmillan’s recent campaign. It is never our intention to upset or offend any of our supporters, especially those that have been affected by cancer. Please accept my sincere apologies on behalf of Cancer Research UK.

I would like to reassure you that we take your feedback very seriously and as such I have investigated this further for you. After discussing this with my colleagues in the fundraising team and I can confirm that to the best of our knowledge, we do not currently have a campaign encouraging supporters to shave their heads. We do however, have lots of supporters who do a voluntary sponsored head shave for us and they often do this in solidarity with a family member or friend who is undergoing treatment. It is never meant to be offensive or dismissive and I am very sorry this was not the impression we gave you.

Cancer patients, past and present, are at the heart of everything we do and we would never want anyone to feel like we are trivialising your experience. We are acutely aware of the terrible side effects of certain cancer treatments and we are working hard to develop kinder and more effective treatments. Please be assured that I have passed your concerns through to our campaigns team and they will be used for future reference. I really do hope you will consider joining our Dryathlon this year, we would be so very grateful to have you on our team.

Once again, please accept my profuse apologies for the offence and anguish caused to you by this. It certainly was not intentional and I hope the information I have given you will go some way to reassure you of this. If there is anything else I can do for you, or if you have any other questions or comments, please do not hesitate to get back in touch. I will be happy to help you further.

I think the point now is that people are doing it regardless of the backing of Macmillan or Cancer Research or whoever.  They want to raise money and they will give it elsewhere if there is a more high profile campaign.  

The best plan is not to rail at the organisations but to spread awareness of how patients feel. 

I've had some sympathy to my awareness-raising of how cancer patients feel on my Facebook page. Otherwise I'll obviously have to start this much earlier next year as the shavers don't feel they can stop a campaign or change to a different method once they've signed up to shaving and the supporters just get defensive of their friend for being so brave and raising so much money.  However, if Macmillan would stop the campaign or at least stop promoting it so aggressively, I do think fewer people would think of doing it in the first place.

Hi Jannie,

I've just re-read your response as it happened to be on my screen and I must say, I'm impressed by the fact your husband can see why you feel the way you do about Brave the Shave. After a few drinks the other night, my husband confessed he thought I was being mean not to support my colleague (who's braving the shave today, which is why it's on my mind).  He's just taking the attitude that she means well and thinks she's showing solidarity for people who have had chemo (she had surgery but no other treatment), so that should have been enough for me to support her.  Even though she didn't contribute to and of my three more minor campaigns! As a result, I'm the one who's feeling isolated and wondering if I have been mean - and it will be all over my Facebook newsfeed today, needless to say.

 You are not mean. You have a strong view and everyone should respect that whatever their own views are. Frankly if my husband said that he'd be sleeping in the shed! 

Tell him if he wants to make a donation himself then it's his choice but it would be belittling your opinion. 

Many thanks, mistymoley - your support is much appreciated.