Breast Cancer UK

Born in the Midlands but now living in Long Buckby in Northamptonshire, he was born the same year the first transatlantic telephone call was made and over the last half a century he has travelled extensively, experiencing different parts of the natural world with trips to Alaska, India and Africa – even encountering grizzly bears! 

Asked to describe her dad, his daughter Ruth Freeborough, 62, smiled and said he’s a “very kind, charming, decent man” – evident in the number of people who attended an afternoon tea held on his birthday, when around 60 people came together to celebrate Don’s centenary.

In lieu of presents, he asked guests to make a donation instead to Breast Cancer UK, of which he is a regular donor, or to Malawi-based charity Mbedza which his other daughter, Sue, 66, works for.

Rewind 80 years, Don was working in a bank in Loughborough. However, his new career was put on hold when he was called up to join the RAF as a trainee navigator. It was when he returned to the bank in Loughborough that he met June, who he went on to marry and have his two daughters. The family moved to Long Buckby where the couple brought up their girls and “life was good”. Then, aged just 52, June was diagnosed with breast cancer.

His daughter Ruth, former Chair of the Board of Trustees at Breast Cancer UK, said: “We’re going back 40-plus years, when they had no idea about breast cancer and the treatments that we have available now. The doctors found a small lump, and it was removed and she had radiotherapy. Then within two years she passed away. Who knows if she would have survived if she’d received the same diagnosis today.”

"It tore our family apart. In those days it was different. My dad was the breadwinner, and my mum was the person who stayed at home looking after us all. So, you suddenly lose that stability in the home. She was the glue that held us all together, and when she passed away, it completely changed the dynamics of our family. It took us a while to recover from that and to find a new norm; to find a new way of being, where she wasn’t in it."

Don was delighted to recieve his 100^th birthday card from the King – remarkably the fifth monarch to be crowned in his lifetime – and said if he went back and spoke to his 18-year-old self, he would say “no regrets”.

He added: “I have travelled extensively and seen many beautiful sights. I am fortunate enough to recall them all and reminisce with fondness each encounter. But meeting and marrying June was my greatest achievement, without a doubt.”

If you would like to fundraise for Breast Cancer UK, you can support us through Work For Good or via our website. Every pound raised helps fund vital research and education so that more people can reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.

This is according to a new poll undertaken by Breast Cancer UK as part of a campaign to ban Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) in consumer products.

The poll also found that around two-thirds of Brits believe that businesses (66%) and the UK government (61%) have a responsibility to protect them from EDCs.

EDCs are chemicals present in everyday products that may interfere with our hormones, some of which have been linked to serious health issues including infertility, obesity and breast cancer. However, despite encountering products that may potentially contain EDCs at least 60 times per week, seven in ten Brits weren’t even aware of their existence.

This is more problematic when we consider that the list of potential EDC sources* mentioned in the poll is far from exhaustive; in fact, the ubiquity of EDCs means this is likely a huge underestimate. According to Breast Cancer UK CEO Thalie Martini, our inability to accurately measure our potential exposure is precisely the problem:

“If the amount of EDCs in our body remains invisible, how can consumers make informed decisions about their health?”

Cutting down on these chemicals may prove challenging, seeing as 60% of Brits find it difficult to identify whether their products contain EDCs. And while Breast Cancer UK’s comprehensive list of A – Z chemicals of concern is a useful tool, it can’t help us scan for what’s not even on our labels. Although more than two thirds of Brits believe they have the right to know exactly what is in their products, by lumping chemicals together under terms like “parfum” or “fragrance”, brands can avoid full disclosure.

We don’t need to wait for a change in law to start protecting ourselves, which is why Breast Cancer UK will continue to empower people to understand and reduce their exposure by offering free educational resources such as our Guide to EDCs in the home. However, safer alternatives can be expensive or hard to find, and fundamentally it shouldn’t fall on individuals to protect our health – governments and companies need to step up too. This is why the charity is urging supporters to help them tackle the problem at the source and making the message clear: we didn’t ask for EDCs, and we don’t have to put up with them.

Walking for under ten minutes between some London tube stations can be a good idea, especially at busy rush hours – but to walk along all the tube routes can take many hours. Nonethless, that's what Alessandro (Aless) Bessy has done - and for charity - although he's also enjoyed exploring parts of London rarely encountered over a regular day.

"I've always wanted to walk the London Tube lines, so I decided to also raise money for Breast Cancer UK at the same time."

It's a cause that's very close to Aless's heart, as many women in his family are still dealing with breast cancer.

"My mother had it in the past, as did her sister, and now my twin sister has been battling it for quite a few years. They're all living in France, and my sister has four children all under ten years of age, so that's adding to the pressure of going to chemo and still trying to be a mother to four children."

"My initial target was £1000, but I crossed that target during the Bakerloo walk, so I extended it to £2000, and plan to keep extending the target until the very last Tube line. "

In the end, Aless raised an incredible £3,267.  If Aless’s story has inspired you, you are able to donate through Work For Good or via the Breast Cancer UK website.