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About Us

13 11 20 is a private and confidential Information and Support line run by our experienced healthcare professionals. It’s available to anyone who is affected by or concerned about cancer and works to connect
Australians with relevant cancer support, information, and resources.

Our 13 11 20 Information and Support service received over 36,000 calls from Australian’s affected by cancer in need of support last year.

Please help us in continuing to provide this much-needed service for the Australian community by fundraising
for us this Dry July.

Latest Updates


Dry July 2023 funds are supporting Cancer Council’s 13 11 20 private and confidential Information and Support line

We’re excited to announce that Dry July funds are supporting the continuation of Cancer Council's 13 11 20 private and confidential Information and Support line.

Experienced healthcare professionals run the vital 13 11 20 Information and Support line and it is available to anyone who is affected by or concerned about cancer. The Information and Support line works to connect Australians with relevant cancer support, information, and resources.

Heather's Story

A month after her 50th birthday in 2010, Heather received her bowel cancer screening kit in the mail. After a year, Heather decided to take the test and soon received the test results which were positive. After a colonoscopy and a CT scan, the diagnosis was clear: stage three bowel cancer.

Everything moved fast from there, a week after results came back in the mail, Heather was in hospital for surgery. "I really had no time to think and process” she says. “I’m a very 'positive person and I just wanted to get on with it. And felt really lucky that I had caught it so early.” After surgery, Heather went through five months of chemotherapy as part of a clinical trial. After some issues with her pacemaker, she stopped the trial and received oral chemotherapy for one month.

During treatment, Heather contacted Cancer Council's 13 11 20 Information and Support service for the first time, for some advice on her relationships with others and anxiety, “I realised that I'd just powered through my cancer experience without thinking about it too much, I hadn't had time to digest what had actually happened to me, so talking about that really helped.”

Heather find it important to remind people that 13 11 20 is for carers as well as patients, “Of course, we are always focused on the patient, but we can’t forget about the carers. I would try and shelter people around me from it and wouldn’t realise the effect it had.”

Today, Heather is a volunteer with Cancer Council's Cancer Connect program, a peer support program that matches survivors with patients with a similar diagnosis, "Having had cancer has changed how I view little things – I don't sweat the small stuff anymore, but the fact that the cancer could return is always in the back of my mind.” Cancer Connect can be contacted via 13 11 20.

“It is important people know that 13 11 20 isn’t the only service offered by Cancer Council, it can lead to all of their other services like Transport to Treatment, Financial Assistance, Counselling and more.  

Dry July funds help Cancer Council continue to run their 13 11 20 line in your local community!

As a supporter of Cancer Council, we are delighted to announce that with your help they raised an astounding $631,884, and have also received additional funding from our grants round!

These funds have helped Cancer Council continue to run their 13 11 20 Information and Support service in your local community. 13 11 20 is a private and confidential Information and Support Line run by experienced healthcare professionals, available to anyone who is affected by or concerned about cancer. This service works to connect Australians with relevant cancer support, information, and resources, so that no Australian has to face cancer alone.

How amazing is that!


Sue's Story

Eight years ago, Sue was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time during a routine check-up, “I hadn’t even thought it could all go wrong again”. Sue was told she would need a double mastectomy which then led to eight correctional surgeries. “Cancer attracts other problems”, while Sue was going through her surgeries her father died and her daughter was going through divorce.

“Physically I was really well but mentally I was all over the place. I was really resentful and very angry but determined not to show that to people.” Sue was fit, healthy and doing everything you should to maintain a healthy lifestyle, “I remember seeing people at the supermarket smoking outside or eating a packet of chips and thinking ‘why me?’.”

The private hospitals Sue was in and out of didn’t have the support resources that Sue needed, it wasn’t until her friend handed her a card with Cancer Council’s 13 11 20 Information and Support number on it, that she was able to talk to someone about her experiences.

“One day I was minding my grandchild who would have been about three at the time, I realised I need to get over this because I am not enjoying my life.”

Sue called 13 11 20 where she was put on right away to one of Cancer Council’s healthcare professionals. “He asked me how I felt and what was wrong. He just listened to me and he didn’t say anything negative to me, he said, ‘it’s not your fault you know?’ and he agreed with me that it wasn’t fair.” The man on the other side of the phone was able to remind Sue that she may not have done as well physically if she had not been living a healthy lifestyle.

Not only did 13 11 20 help Sue with her mental well-being, but they also alerted her to familiar testing and research. “We sent my tumours for testing and only found out recently that there were two genes that meant you had a 22% higher chance of developing breast cancer more than once.” Sue’s children were all over 40 at the time and therefore at risk of developing breast cancer.

“It wasn’t until years later that I thought ‘he really did know’. If he hadn’t said the importance of looking into familiar testing, we wouldn’t have known to check and been open to more research into the cancer. I wouldn’t listen to family or friends, but I could really listen to him.”

Before the pandemic, Sue was working in Blacktown Hospital in the Information Service where she still recommends for patients to call 13 11 20 if they need support.

“It’s amazing how a short conversation with someone really changed my attitude, I got back to being my old self quickly. Without the support of 13 11 20 I don’t know where I would be.”

Thanks to you, Cancer Council can run their 13 11 20 Information and Support Service for another year

Your Dry July fundraising in 2021 helped Cancer Council continue to support people affected by cancer across Australia through their 13 11 20 Information and Support Line – an incredible feat that would have been impossible without you.

As a healthcare professional working on 13 11 20, I know how important the information and support we provide to our callers are. Generous funding from Dry July enables our service to continue its vital work.” – Jan Priaulx 13 11 20 Healthcare Professional

13 11 20 is there for all Australians, with a dedicated team of healthcare professionals answering calls from hundreds of Australians every single day. Over $3million was raised in 2021 which was directed to 13 11 20 across Australia, the money you have raised stays in your territory – ensuring that there is local support available for those who need it most.

Thank you for the information and links. I’m so grateful for all the support you and everyone has provided these past few months.” – Anonymous 13 11 20 caller

On behalf of Cancer Council and all the people that will access 13 11 20 in 2022, thank you for helping us be there to take the call and ensure no one has to face cancer alone.

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