When you’re diagnosed with Cancer statistics seem to play a big part in how people seek and give comfort.

I, however, don’t put much stock in the statistics. 90% of people will survive 5 years after stage 1. Someone has to be in the 10% that don’t.

Only 13% of people will survive stage 4 for 5 years. Someone has to be in that 13%. Whatever the figures are, I could be in the majority or minority, the good or the bad bunch.

My work with Kicks Count means I deal with statistics all the time, but also allows me to visualize what these statistics mean. The odds of having a stillbirth or neonatal death are less than 1%. But that 1% is 6500 babies. That’s a massive number of babies! And something that I still struggle to comprehend. And it frustrates me no end when people just assume it won’t happen to them. They don’t need to worry about baby’s movements because they only have 2 weeks left. They have had a baby before so they are safe. No. It could happen to you. Hopefully it won’t, but it might. Preventing stillbirth relies on people understanding however small the percentage is, that’s still a large number of babies

It’s the same with other areas of our life too. The odds of winning the lottery jackpot are one in a bazillian gazillion but so may of us still play it. Why? Because as Camelot always tell us, it could be you. With odds that small it’s unlikely, but it COULD be.

I don’t know what kind of Cancer I have yet, but whatever the category is I won’t be looking at survival statistics. I will be looking at my cancer, my medical team and my prognosis.

Now I’m off to buy my lottery ticket…. You never know!