The Wig Library at the Northern Sydney continues to be able to support women and men receiving cancer treatment in the Northern Sydney region thanks to the support of Dry July and the incredible participants who support us each year!

This invaluable support means that we can provide a high quality, free service for patients experiencing hair loss.

In 2018 we had 169 new patients use our service in addition to those wigs already on loan.

When you choose Northern Sydney Cancer & Palliative Care Network as your beneficiary this Dry July, your help will ensure that our patients experiencing hair loss can regain some confidence and feel more normal during a very challenging time in their lives.

Thank you for supporting us.

We're proud to announce that Royal North Shore Hospital has received a grant from the Dry July Foundation 2018 Grant Program.

The grant will go towards the following: 

• Continuation of Relaxation and Meditation Program, where participants are taught essential relaxation and meditation skills to support them through their cancer journey

• New Chemotherapy chairs in the Chemotherapy Day Treatment Unit, to increase patient comfort and safety during treatment

The Relaxation and Meditation Program has been able to continue in 2017-2018 thanks to the funds raised by our supporters. The program specifically caters for people with cancer and their carers. We rely solely on Dry July Funds to run

this program, which is held in Chatswood at the Dougherty Community Centre once a week. The program supports participants to cope better with the impact of cancer and ultimately aims to improve their wellbeing during and after cancer treatment.

The funds raised have also continued to support the Wig Library at the Northern Sydney Cancer Centre. Due to the generosity of Dry July and our supporters, the funds have allowed us to purchase additional wigs and stock wig care kits for patients being treated in the Northern Sydney region. The service is open to patients from both public and private hospital in the area and is a free service. We now stock over 400 wigs from high quality brands, giving people with cancer access to a

service that they would otherwise have to pay hundreds of dollars for. The service therefore gives patients choice and reduces some of the stress of managing hair loss from cancer treatment.

Dry July helped Royal North Shore Hospital purchase 7 new treatment chairs for the day unit.

The patients who receive their treatment in these chairs regularly tell the Nursing staff how much more comfortable they are when they have to sit in them for hours on end. The Nurses also report that the chairs have improved patient safety and allow them to administer treatment more easily.

"These chairs are heaven compared to the old ones. They've made a long day of treatment much more comfortable and they're so much easier to get on and off as well. The nurses love them as it is easier and safer for them to treat us.

Bruce 79 years

• Treatment Chairs for the Chemotherapy Suits – These have arrived in the Day Treatment Unit and have increased the comfort and safety for patients. We hope to be able to apply for more funding for chairs in the future!

• Cansupport’s Wig Library – We have been able to increase the range of wigs that we have available for patients who are experiencing hair loss due to cancer treatment. The service is very popular and relies on Dry July funding to continue. We want to give women and men choice and ultimately confidence.

• Relaxation and Meditation Program - We have been able to expand this program thanks to Dry July to offer another weekly class solely for people with Cancer and their carers.

• Blanket Warmer – We have recently received the Blanket Warmer that Dry July has funded. This is being used in the Day Treatment Unit and will help keep patients comfortable and warm during their chemotherapy treatment.