Why We Started
The Sunflower
Foundation

About

In February 2015 the BBC reported that an analysis carried out by Cancer Research estimated that “one in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives”. This new forecast replaces the previous forecast of “more than one in three people developing the disease”.

It is very clear that cancer is affecting more and more people every day and we need to do everything in our power to combat the increase in cancer cases, which is why we have set up The Sunflower Foundation.

The Sunflower Foundation is a fund raising vehicle which we are using to raise funds for cancer research, awareness and education. The inspiration behind The Sunflower Foundation is Karen Sitek my wife and mum to our two daughters, Beth and Rachel. Karen sadly, after a very short illness, succumbed to cancer in October 2018.

Karen loved life. She loved her family and her friends. She loved socialising and she loved the outdoors and could be often seen walking around the area with her trusty companion Nacho our golden Labrador. Karen touched many lives in the local community with her effervescent personality and she clearly had an impact on many people’s lives over the years, judging by the amount of people who attended her funeral.

We have been supporting Cancer Research since my mother succumbed to ovarian cancer in 2007. Research into beating cancer is clearly massively important and raising funds for cancer research is our number one priority. However, highlighting and raising awareness, especially in younger people who have the time to adjust and make important changes to their lifestyles to help prevent cancer in the first place is hugely important.

My wife had developed multiple cancers to the point that the doctors could not diagnose the primary source of the cancer.

My wife was a smoker. She had been a smoker from the age of eighteen.

When we first met with our doctor, Karen was diagnosed with lung cancer and whereas we are not doctors and have absolutely no medical training whatsoever, we are convinced that smoking played a large part in Karen developing cancer.

Our message is very simple: If you smoke, quit and quit now. Please do not continue down the same path Karen did as we know if she could have her time again, she would never have started to smoke in the first place.