Helping people affected by cancer

Patients sit in comfort thanks to Dry July

Thank you to all the participants of the 2019 Dry July campaign who raised over $40,000. This fantastic result has enabled us to purchase four new treatment chairs for the Cancer Centre.

The Dry July campaign encourages participants to go alcohol-free in July to raise funds for people affected by cancer. Funds go towards helping to provide invaluable services for cancer patients, their families and carers.

One patient who has benefitted is Athol Atkins. Three years ago Athol started to feel unwell. A blood test showed his kidneys were functioning at just 10%. Athol was rushed to Warrnambool Hospital where he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer.

After six months of chemotherapy, Athol was accepted into a placebo-based worldwide...

Dry July Foundation Grant funding supports Northern Health purchase important comfort items for patients

Thanks to funds raised by Dry July 2019, Northern Health has been able to purchase their first Scalp Cooling Machine for Northern Health’s Craigieburn Centre – Day Oncology Unit.

The scalp cooling cap reduces the risk of hair loss during chemotherapy. By decreasing the scalp temperature and blood flow to hair follicles, the cooling caps alleviate the damage of chemotherapy.

They were also thrilled to have received funding for a Blanket Warmer to help patients feel warm and comfortable during their treatments. Kerry visits the centre fortnightly for treatment and reaches out for a warm blanket. “A warm blanket is comforting and helps with the aches and pains. When the blanket goes cold, there is always another warm one in the blanket...

Prince of Wales cancer survivor, Angela Wales, is grateful for the support given by Dry July Foundation

Angela Wales grew up the oldest of five children in Walcha NSW. Through her life she has worked around the world as a librarian (Cambridge, UK), field archaeological assistant (Greece) and travel consultant (London and the executive director of the Australian Writers Guild. She ultimately became Executive Director of the Writers Guild Foundation. The WGA West is one of the more powerful Hollywood unions, also representing writers working in film, television and other AV fields.

She retired from the Foundation and returned to Australia in late 2013 to help take care of her elderly mother. It was at this time she was diagnosed with breast cancer. While having her at chemotherapy at Prince of Wales Hospital - she decided that faced with...

Dry July funds help McGrath Foundation support people like Selena

Selena’s diagnosis

Breast health has always been important to me because my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 39. I was vigilant in conducting regular self-checks and planned to start getting regular mammograms when I turned 45.

When I was 42, I felt a lump in my breast and booked in for a mammogram. The BreastScreen bus was due to arrive in town in a few weeks. Fortunately, the lump I had found was benign, but the mammogram picked up some other lumps I couldn’t feel.

Further testing revealed these lumps were cancerous. Early stage, but cancerous.

Because of my family history, I didn’t want to take any chances, so I decided to have a double mastectomy and reconstruction, as well as genetic testing. The testing came back...

Dry July funds help Leukaemia Foundation support people like Joe and Chanelle

Blood cancer survivor, Joe and his partner, Chanelle benefitted from on-site personal care and support while staying at Leukaemia Foundation Patient Accommodation.

The couple have lived out at the Kalgoorlie Goldfields in remote Western Australia for the last 12 years. Joe working as a boilermaker and Chanelle as a hairdresser, life was bliss for the nature-loving couple.

“We are outdoors people and love going camping, fishing, hiking and bike-riding,” said Chanelle. “Every chance we get we drive the four hours to Esperance to camp at the beautiful beaches, we absolutely love it there and we love the ocean.

A blood cancer diagnosis couldn’t have been further from their minds when Joe started to notice shortness of breath last year.

When...

Dry July funds help Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia support people like Mark and Linda

Mark and Linda's lives were turned upside down when Mark was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

“The day the doctor actually said, ‘You have prostate cancer,’ it all became a blur. I didn’t hear a thing that was said after that,” Mark remembers.

All their plans immediately went out the window and instead they were faced with endless doctors’ appointments, meetings with specialists and deciding on treatment plans. It was so overwhelming. They didn’t know what to do or who to talk to.

For Mark’s wife Linda and their family, it was difficult to know where to turn for the right treatment. “It was so hard to find information, to know what to do,” Linda said.

Navigating the whole process and working out the correct treatment at such an...

Dry July funds help Redkite support people like Ben

When Ben was 23 years old, doctors discovered he had a malignant brain tumour: astrocytoma glioma. “I was bluntly told: ‘You have cancer’,” he remembers.

Life changed overnight for Ben who immediately underwent brain surgery. The neurosurgeons removed 95 percent of his tumour, but Ben had 33 sessions of radiation in seven weeks, followed by six months of life-sapping chemotherapy, to remove the rest.

For Ben, Redkite was there help him maintain his independence during treatment. “It was helpful to speak with people at Redkite who understood what I was going through. I really couldn’t imagine going through the challenging times I endured without the warming support from the Redkite social workers. They took so much pressure off the whole...

Dry July funds help Look Good Feel Better support people like Jodie

Jodie's Story

"I found a lump in my breast in August last year, but to be honest I didn’t take it too seriously. I’m a young mum of two daughters, aged 14 and 10, and I didn’t think people like me, with no family history, got cancer.

When my GP referred me very quickly for a biopsy and further testing I became more concerned, and within four days of my initial check-up I received a breast cancer diagnosis. It completely took the wind out of me. I was shocked, scared and confused. And of course, the biggest question was why me?

As the plans were laid out for my treatment, my breast care nurse told me about the Look Good Feel Better workshops, and I was thrilled at the idea of joining with other women in the same position as me. I knew what...

Chris' Story

Chris has been battling cancer for nine years. Thank you for supporting her, and thousands more patients at Flinders who are affected by cancer.

Chris was first diagnosed with a rare cancer form nine years ago. Since then she’s undergone eight different types of treatment – including surgery, different chemotherapies and clinical trials.

“The number of things that change as a result of a cancer diagnosis shouldn’t be underestimated,” Chris says.

“You have multiple medical appointments, treatment times, blood tests, scans, all of which you need to manage and follow through on."

“You may be working and must juggle work and treatment. You may not have access to leave or an understanding workplace."

“And it’s not just you who is affected by...