“When you are diagnosed with cancer, you have a whole range of appointments that are set up for you and it becomes almost a full-time job going from appointment to appointment. Our service is there for patients and carers when they are at their most vulnerable, they’ve been thrust into this new way of living & with odds stacked against them, they come to us for hope.
They might call just to talk about diet or to find out about a particular surgery or have their results explained. We take a case management approach; thus, we listen for cues and ask questions that help open doors to a whole range of services that the patient might not have known about or considered. It means that they can access help and support that they otherwise would not have known about and in that sense, we help people make the best use of the health system that we have in Australia.
I would like to think that we are able to take some of that burden of navigating the health system away from patients. They should not have to sit for hours trying to find services, or research or information. We can listen to them and find out what they need and put that all together for them so they can spend more time looking after themselves and focusing on what is important. We are also often just a sounding board for patients, and we can give them our time and undivided attention - which I know means a lot to them.”
Your fundraising for Dry July 2021 will allow Pancare Foundation to expand this incredible service so that people affected by an upper GI cancer can feel supported and cared for from the moment they are diagnosed, through their treatment and beyond.
“When mum was diagnosed, we were just lost and felt like there was no hope at all. After we spoke with the Specialist Cancer Nurse at Pancare, it was like we were able to breathe again. We know we are getting access to all that we need to so that mum gets the best treatment possible and is supported all the way. Oh, and I think that I also sleep better knowing that if I get stuck, there is someone that I can call.”
TRACEY, daughter of pancreatic cancer patient supported by PanSupport.
