Courageous Matt launches Stand Up to Cancer in Devon
A courageous father-of-three from Bradninch is rallying men, women and children in Devon to Stand Up To Cancer this October.
Matt Byrne, who has survived tongue cancer, plays a starring role on the 2013 Stand Up To Cancer website, which has just launched.
Matt hopes seeing his picture and reading about his experience will motivate people to raise funds for ground-breaking research to beat cancer sooner.
Last year Cancer Research UK and Channel 4 joined forces to launch "Stand Up To Cancer" for the first time in the UK and raised a staggering £8 million to help accelerate ground-breaking cancer research.
Now Matt and his daughter Maya, 14, are encouraging people of all ages to literally stand up and get sponsored on Friday, 18 October
Fundraisers can register for a free fundraising kit and then choose exactly how, when and where they make their stand.
They might opt for endurance standing, by staying upright for the full 24-hours, or extreme standing by choosing a weird and wonderful location - like a bath of baked beans or the top of Exeter Cathedral. Alternatively, they could rise to the occasion by going for fancy footwear and swapping stilettos for flippers in the office.
Matt knows from personal experience how crucial new developments and breakthroughs in treatment are helping children and adults survive cancer.
He was diagnosed with tongue cancer after spotting a small rosebud-like sore on his tongue four years ago. .
Matt said: “On the day of the biopsy results I walked in thinking it would be okay. When I was told it was cancer I actually passed out. I remember coming round feeling clammy and sick. The first thing I remember is hearing my wife crying and saying 'What will we tell Maya?' our daughter.
"The operation was booked the day my wife was due to give birth to our third child. I wanted to be there, but I decided I wanted to be there for the majority of my baby’s life, rather than just be there for the birth and only be a memory to her.
“Stand Up To Cancer is so important. It’s helping to make sure my children don’t have to go through it, or anyone else.”
Being a singer in the band Soul Traders, Matt thought he may never sing again but after extensive speech therapy things turned around.
For many months Matt couldn’t pronounce certain letters. Part of his tongue is now paralysed and the left side is numb, having a muscle from his wrist grafted to replace what was taken. He was unable to speak for two weeks having had a tracheotomy.
“Thanks to research, I’m still here. I’m so grateful for the treatment that saved my life.
"Sadly, however, not everyone survives. That’s why I’m calling on everyone in Devon to Stand Up To Cancer in October. We need to keep funding this type of research so we can kick this dreadful disease into touch.”
Every hour, three people are diagnosed with cancer in the South West. Stand Up To Cancer aims to raise money to accelerate groundbreaking research and help more families stay together.
Alison Birkett, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for the South West, said: “We need everyone to stand up and be counted on Friday, October 18. Thanks to research, more people are surviving cancer than ever before. But there’s still so much more to do. It's not technology or knowledge that is holding back our fight against cancer - it's funding.
“You can make your stand as easy or challenging as you like. It’s a great opportunity to indulge your imagination or test your stamina. However you plan your stand, the key thing is to have fun and join the day of mass action to strike at the core of cancer.”
There are lots of ways to get involved and Stand Up To Cancer. A free fundraising kit is available with great ideas on how to raise money at home or at work.
People can pop into their local Cancer Research UK shop to purchase funky pin badges for £1 each and wristbands, in four different colours, for just 99p each from mid September. A wide range of stylish clothing and accessories, including T-shirts, is also available online at standuptocancer.org.uk
Alison added: “This is the critical time for research into cancers. Advances in science have put cures within our grasp. But the time it takes to reach these depends on how much money we raise and how quickly we raise it. By boosting funding right now, the best research teams will be able to develop new treatments, bring cures faster and save more lives.”
For more information and to get involved visit www.standuptocancer.org.uk
To find out about Matt’s next gig read about it at: www.southernsoultraders.com
