'Envy' Campaign Created by Charity Pancreatic Cancer Action Triggers an Uproar from Cancer Patients

A charity called Pancreatic Cancer Action recently created a campaign to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer that sparked an outrage among other cancer patients and their families.

The 'envy' campaign showed patients wishing they had more common types of cancer such as breast and testicular cancer, instead of cancer in the pancreas. The campaign was created to highlight the poor survival rates of the disease. Specifically, it was mentioned that pancreatic cancer has a five-year survival rate which is just three percent of the 85 percent survival rate of breast cancer patients and approximately 97 percent survival rate of men with testicular cancer.

In the advertisement, actual patients were featured saying statements like "I wish I had testicular cancer" and "I wish I had breast cancer" as information about symptoms and survival rates appear on the screen. Critics considered the venture 'horribly insensitive' and 'repugnant'. Many of them tweeted to condemn the campaign. "Your I Wish I Had Breast Cancer slogan is offensive, repugnant and hurtful towards all cancer victims and their families." "Survival stats meaningless if you're the one who dies. A death is a death." "Unless you have experienced it yourself, it's impossible to fully understand the brutal reality of breast cancer."

However, the charity's founder, Ali Stunt, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2007, defended the campaign. "When I was diagnosed I was horrified to learn the survival rate and actually found myself wishing I had a different type of cancer. I understand that any type of cancer is a horrible, horrible disease - not least metastatic breast cancer - and would not wish cancer on anyone."