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F Cancer Finds a Home on the Web

From an award-winning website to a 6000-member-strong Facebook group, this fiery local movement is gaining international attention online

F Cancer is a movement founded in Vancouver in late 2009 by Yael Cohen after her mother, Diane Cohen, was diagnosed with breast cancer.

F Cancer may be a bold statement, she says, but it's a sentiment that's widely shared.

'While my mother was recovering from her cancer surgery in 2009, I overheard the phrase 'F cancer' in passing. It instantly resonated with me - so much so that I had a shirt made for her the next day adorned with this modern-day proverb.

'The reaction was astounding. Who knew these two little words could elicit so much support? Any time Mom wore the shirt she was inundated with messages of support and questions about where she got it. I soon realized that F Cancer was far larger than just a T-shirt - it was an entire movement.'

This movement soon found a large and likeminded following on the Web. It first blossomed on Facebook, gaining thousands of followers in just a few weeks - many of whom were very vocal and engaged from the start.

This type of interaction led to the creation of www.letsfcancer.com, an immersive Flash-based website in which users can share their stories and engage with each other, as well as purchase F Cancer T-shirts and donate to the campaign.

Now, on April 30, LetsFcancer.com will be recognized as the Site of the Day by the prestigious Favorite Website Awards, or FWA, putting it alongside other powerful brands such as Porsche, Axe, Bell, VH1, and Air Jordan.

The website was built by PACWEBCO, a Vancouver web agency whose owner, Tommy Humphreys, was a childhood friend of Yael's, and who offered to make the site after coming across her Facebook group.

Since building the website together, F Cancer and PACWEBCO have moved in next door in their new Chinatown offices, where they are continuing to collaborate on several new and upcoming projects.

Meanwhile, F Cancer continues to build steam. Apart from its recent FWA website award, celebrities such as musician Sarah McLachlan, investor and philanthropist Frank Giustra, and actress and Cancer Schmancer founder Fran Drescher have all been spotted wearing the black 'F Cancer' T-shirt, thousands more of which have been sold to date.

Cohen says that while F Cancer is not meant to replace mainstream cancer research and fundraising, her movement has resonated with people in a way that conventional campaigns are unable to do.

'For as long as cancer has been around, we've been looking for a 'cure,'' Cohen says. But what are we supposed to do in the meantime? 'We're not saying forget the research - we're saying let's fight this disease as effectively as possible until there is a cure. And to us that means early detection, early treatment, and increased self-awareness.'

When asked if her busy schedule is tiring her out yet, Cohen replies, 'I miss sleep, and I miss having a social life, but if we can even begin the much needed social dialogue about early detection then it's all worth it.'

More about F Cancer:

F Cancer is a global movement to change the way cancer is perceived and diagnosed in our society, both by encouraging early detection and treatment and by de-stigmatizing the disease through meaningful and targeted educational campaigns.

www.letsfcancer.com

About PACWEBCO

PACWEBCO is a creative web services company based in Vancouver, specializing in interactive projects for the financial and philanthropic sectors. Since 2006, PACWEBCO has built over 200 websites using open source technologies.

www.pacwebco.com

To download a photo of Tommy and Yael at the F Cancer offices, please visit:Letsfcancer.com/blog/press