Have Cancer Focus girls’ night in for breast cancer research

The Girls’ Night In fundraiser is being organised by Cancer Focus Northern Ireland which does vital, life-changing work with cancer patients and their families across Northern Ireland.

The charity also funds potentially life-saving research into the detection and treatment of breast cancer at Queen’s that could make a tremendous difference to women not just locally but all over the world.

“Having a Girls’ Night In is an easy and fun way to make a meaningful contribution to this important work. I’d urge everyone to pick a party theme they enjoy, put a date in the diary and invite the girls around!” said community fundraising manager Suzi McIlwain.

Last year women from all over Northern Ireland 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 research could change all that.

Suzi added: “The research carried out at Queen’s has the potential to make an enormous difference to the lives of many local women, but there’s still so much more to be done.

“That’s why the money raised through Girls’ Night In is so important. We can’t do it without you!

“Anyone can help by holding an afternoon tea or cocktail evening, a movie marathon, a pamper party – or whatever you and your friends enjoy doing – we just ask that they donate whatever they would spend on a night out to Cancer Focus NI instead.

“It’s a great excuse to have a night in with the girls!”