Barwon Health's Andrew Love Cancer Centre, Geelong

Thanks to the Dry July Foundation and participants of Dry July in 2019 and 2020, the Ba-Lee Lodge have had a refurbishment, including garden and accommodation rooms.

The majority of the project has been completed with just a few finishing touches like artwork and custom seating yet to be installed, although that hasn't stopped patients who are back enjoying the refurbished space.

The Ba-Lee lodges have been a valued and much loved part of the Andrew Love Cancer Centre for over 15 years. This very important facility provides vital accommodation to Barwon Health’s Andrew Love Cancer Centre patients during their treatment. The impact of a cancer diagnosis is significant in the lives of these patients and their families and units provide a home away from home for regional patients who otherwise would face expensive travel and accommodation costs to attend the Andrew Love Cancer Centre.

The units provide the comforts of home with fully self-contained facilities and Barwon Health’s accommodation and domestic teams work with the patients to ensure their stay is as trouble free as possible.

After many nights of occupancy over the years, the units have benefited greatly from this update and will provide comfort to many more future patients.

Your fundraising for Dry July has enabled the Andrew Love Cancer Centre to purchase items and run Wellness Programs and activities such as exercise therapy, art therapy, oncology massage, and yoga.

They are especially excited to be able to upgrade the Ba-Lee Lodge garden area within the accommodation facility for cancer patients. This will provide a calming, outdoor space for patients and their families who have travelled to Geelong, usually from afar, for cancer treatment.

“The Ba-Lee lodges have been a valued and much loved part of the Andrew Love Cancer Centre for over 15 years. We are extremely lucky to have such a facility to support our patients during their treatment. The impact of a cancer diagnosis is significant in the lives of our patients. These units allow us to provide a home away from home for regional patients who otherwise would face expensive travel and accommodation costs to attend ALCC for their treatment. The units provide the comforts of home with fully self-contained facilities and our accommodation and domestic teams work with the patients to ensure their stay is as trouble free as possible. After many nights of occupancy over the years, the units will benefit greatly from an update both internally and outside in the garden.

We are very grateful for the support from the Dry July participants and Dry July Foundation to help us achieve this and we look forward to proudly launching the Ba-Lee Lodge with a modern and fresh garden for our patients to enjoy. Further to this, having the wellness programs continue will also have a huge impact on improving the wellbeing of our patients during treatment”.

– Michele Shields, Operations Manager, Andrew Love Cancer Centre.

My name is Katie, and I am a clinical nurse specialist at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre. I live In Ocean Grove with my husband and 3 boys. Life is busy but love life near the beach. I have worked at the centre for 16 years and I am a small part of a fantastic dedicated team. My role is to provide patients with not only their chemotherapy but ongoing support and education to patients and their families during this challenging and stressful time.

The best part of my job is getting to know patients and their families and share stories. You really become part of their lives and they do in ours. We support patients from diagnosis and treatment and help them work through side effects and uncertainties caused by their cancer. We are very lucky to have a beautifully new renovated Day ward supported by Dry July and the Barwon Health Foundation that provides a calm environment and we strive to make a very difficult time that little bit easier. Our patients are amazing the way they just get on with their treatment, while juggling work, family life and life’s general busy-ness.

I have signed up to do Dry July. I have been involved with dry July for 8 years. The reason I support and sign up for Dry July every year is I see every day the fantastic benefits that it provides to improve patients experience in the Andrew love Centre.

Dry July has supported so many programs in the wellness lounge such as the massage therapy , yoga & art program, the patient entertainment systems. These programs couldn’t run without the funding from Dry July and they are so important to help support our patients. So if you can jump on board and sign up today!

I love catching up my friends over a wine or too but just not in July. My family and friends are great supporters of my dry July camping and they know it’s coming. So thank you for all your support and I am proud to be a dry July ambassador.

I’m a 32 year old Travel Agent and have lived in Geelong my whole life. I’m the youngest of 5 children (2 brothers and 2 sisters) and could not live without my legend of a mum! I’m currently living with mum, who has been my absolute rock throughout everything, running around after me with my appointments and treatment.

My 2 main passions in life are Dance and P!nk. I’ve been dancing for more than 20 years now and love everything about it. It’s such a great release and an escape from everything else going on in the world. I’ve performed most styles including jazz, contemporary, hip hop, Latin and commercial and taught all ages from 3 year olds through to 60 year olds. 

In March this year I was diagnosed with Acute T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. I originally began feeling unwell in December with tightness in the chest, but just brushed it off as being a little run down due to the silly season. Over the next week or so the chest pain worsened, I developed a cough and began having trouble breathing with even the smallest amount of exercise. I went to the GP and was given some antibiotics, which didn’t really do much to help. 

After getting home from my trip, I headed back to the GP and was given more antibiotics which still didn’t work. After 3 or 4 Doctors visits and misdiagnosis, I went to a different GP for a second opinion. He sent me for a chest X-ray and after seeing the results sent me straight to Hospital for a CT scan. I was admitted that day and was in there for the following 2 weeks for every test under the sun. After finally being given my diagnosis, I think the biggest feeling was that of relief. 

I was originally admitted back into hospital, to begin my 4 week Induction to chemo, so they could keep an eye on any side effects or reactions. After 2 days I was told I could leave and continue the rest of my treatment through the Dayward, as my body was taking it well. I had treatment every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the first 4 weeks, then had a follow up PET scan which had really great results. 

All of the nurses and staff at Andrew Love Cancer Centre and University Hospital Geelong have been so welcoming and accommodating, I couldn’t ask for more! They’re always up for a chat and even put up with my endless P!nk stories! 

I’m also super lucky to have an amazing support network of friends and family behind me to help me through my journey. I’m feeling really positive about the future and what’s to come and I really believe I can beat this. 

Read Maddison’s full story here: www.dryjuly.com/2020/maddisons-story 

We're pleased to announce that Barwon Health has received an additional grant from the Dry July Foundation October grant round.

This grant will enable further upgrades to the Ba-Lee Lodge Patient Accommodation self-contained units.

Ba-Lee Lodge consists of one two-bedroom unit and four one-bedroom units. These units are now 17 years old and in desperate need of refurbishment with new carpet and paint.