Over the last five years, we have been so grateful and overwhelmed by the support from our whole community

Over the last five years, we have been so grateful and overwhelmed by the support from our whole community - there are so many we couldn't possibly name everyone!

On what is our 5th birthday we want to take a moment to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in our journey along the way, including those sadly no longer with us.

Our Board Chair, Professor David Cameron, wants to share a few words:

“I am delighted and privileged to work with an organisation that is doing such fantastic work supporting those affected by secondary breast cancer – and raising awareness of this form of the disease which remains largely unknown by most people.

Today, we are proud to announce that we have so far raised over £2,000,000!

Together with the support of our amazing friends, family, fundraisers, patients and stakeholders, we can help patients and their families and show them that it is possible to enhance the lives of those living with this disease and to give them hope during what is a very difficult and emotional time.

There is so much yet to be achieved and we look forward to seeing where the next five years take Make 2nds Count.”

Since Make 2nds Count was founded in 2018 we have focused on three key pillars; Support, Education and Research.

With your help, we’ve broadened our SUPPORT services. Patients and families across the UK have found hope and community in some of our most ambitious programmes. In 2020 we funded our first Little Lift boxes and, since then, we have supported the creation of 1374 boxes, each one adding a little bit of comfort to those going through chemotherapy and treatment.

The same year, we held our first Tea & A Chat. Since then we have supported 533 people through our online and now in-person meet-ups across the country. Over the past two years, more than 135 ladies have attended a 2nds Together retreat, a fully funded trip away to spend time relaxing with and talking to other patients living with secondary breast cancer.

And in 2021, we launched the Patient Trial Advocate. The service allows patients to book a one-to-one appointment with one of our PTA nurses who help them demystify the clinical trial process. The service is now available UK-wide, thanks to three PTA nurses, and we have supported 304 patients and hosted 100 patients so far at our information events.

But that's not all: alongside supporting patients and their families, we want to raise awareness of secondary breast cancer and provide EDUCATION about the disease and its effects. From nationwide billboard campaigns and lighting up landmarks around the UK to building a growing social media community and engaging with the media, the past five years have seen us shine a light on secondaries every single day!

We have also worked incessantly on RESEARCH. Over the past five years, we’ve donated over £646,160 to research into secondary breast cancer, and we continue to fund research from world-leading institutions in the hope that medical advances will continue to improve the lives of those living with this disease.

Thank you so much for all your help, which has in turn helped us to make a real difference to the lives of those living with secondary breast cancer – so much done, so much more we can do together. Here’s to the next five years!