Our History

How Heartburn Cancer Started

In 2002 Michael McCord died from oesophageal cancer. His death, like so many, was preventable. Had he known at the time about the dangers of persistent heartburn he could have sought medical help and the outcome might have been completely different. It was his tragic death that prompted his widow, Mimi, to launch The McCord Oesophageal Cancer Fund (MOCF) in 2003.  The mission was to raise public awareness of the dangers of persistent heartburn and to urge people to seek medical advice from their GP if symptoms are present for more than three weeks.  In 2010 the charity became Heartburn Cancer Awareness and Support (HCAS) and since 2014 we have been known as Heartburn Cancer UK (HCUK).

Cancer of the oesophagus is growing rapidly in incidence across the UK and is currently the seventh biggest cancer killer.  Despite the best modern treatments, survival rates are appalling.  This is partly due to diagnosis often being made when the condition is too advanced to be treated; early symptoms are few and are often ignored.

Persistent heartburn is a significant symptom of oesophageal cancer and also the pre-cancerous condition known as Barrett’s oesophagus.

Heartburn affects 1 in 10 of us and is often dismissed as a harmless problem, easily treated with off-the-shelf antacid remedies.  It is estimated that around 500,000 people in the UK have the pre-cancerous condition Barrett’s oesophagus and most are totally unaware of it.  Around 10% (50,000) of these will go on to develop oesophageal cancer at some stage.

Key Dates for Heartburn Cancer UK

• 2003-2010: Mimi McCord founded the McCord Oesophageal Cancer Fund, now known as Heartburn cancer UK
• 2006: Launch of the McCord Endoscopy Project, a pilot study at St Thomas’ Hospital, London
• The McCord Oesophageal Cancer Fund provided two ultra-thin endoscopes, forming an award won by Addenbrookes, Cambridge
• 2008-2010: Mimi was Chair of the Barrett’s Support Network 
• 2011-2015: Mimi appointed lay member of the ‘Expert Panel’ advising the Department of Health on the key messages to trial in a public awareness campaign ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ for oesophago-gastric cancer  
• 2015: London Awareness Campaign 
• 2017: Opened first official office 
• 2017: Started first quarterly newsletter 
• 2019: North Hants awareness campaign ran over a 3 month period
• 2019: Re-launch of Heartburn Cancer UK information booklet
• 2020: New website launched
• 2023: Heartburn Cancer UK celebrates 20 year anniversary
• 2024: Winner of ‘Small Charity, Big Achiever’ at the Third Sector Awards for our Groundbreaking #DemandingHope Campaign
• 2025: HCUK runs an extensive ‘Don’t Swallow Your Discomfort’ Oesophageal Cancer Awareness campaign with multiple Cancer Alliances, which was awarded Bronze in the Disease and/or Health Awareness (Public) category at the PM Society’s PMi Awards