Helping people affected by cancer

Providing accommodation eases the strain for rural families

At the young age of 30 years old, with 3 young children, Dubbo resident Regina Batton received the devastating news on Friday 25th August that she in fact had blood cancer. A day she will never forget.

Regina was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). With the average normal blood count range between 3,500 and 10,500, Regina’s blood test confirmed her blood count was only 34. She was rushed to her local Dubbo hospital immediately and given 4 blood transfusions to stabilise her.

The next day, Regina was transported to Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for further testing and what was to be ongoing painful bone marrow biopsies. Intensive chemotherapy treatment started the next day for 7 days straight (24 hours a day), followed...

Dry July CEO visits Flinders Foundation

In early May, Brett Macdonald CEO of Dry July visits the team at the inspirational Flinders Foundation who are applying their Dry July Funding for 2018 toward their new Wellness Centre.

The centre will be great support to patients and their families during and after their cancer treatment.

Specialist resources will be accessed to develop programs that assist with relationships, lifestyle, employment, fertility, finances, diet and nutrition for those accessing the Centre.

Dry July funds used for the little things that make a difference!

Here are some of the items provided by Dry July funding so appreciated by our patients:

- Tim Tams are offered to patients and their families whilst undergoing treatment. Approved by our Dietician!We also offer varietal teas, herbal, relaxing and for general enjoyment.

- Fresh flowers and Daily newspapers is welcoming for patients and their family members whilst attending the Cancer Centre.

Brett MacDonald CEO of Dry July at opening ceremony

All good things come…Finally the roof-top garden has been opened and is available to patients at Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplant ward at Royal Melbourne Hospital. Over $250,000 in funds raised by Dry July participants went into this beautiful and calming facility.

This space allows our patients’ and their families to connect with nature and the great outdoors, to give their thoughts and minds some respite, and to encourage a sense of community, in a place that is away from home.

Tree of Hope Decal for cancer survivors

This Dry July funding has paid for a beautiful mural at Fiona Stanley Radiation Oncology ward.

Each patient completing treatment adds their own leaf to the tree on completion of their treatment. It's a wonderful visual representation of the successful outcomes that can be achieved with treatment and offers hope to those just starting their journey.

Announcing 2018 Major Beneficiaries

The Dry July Foundation is proud to announce a partnership with five of Australia’s biggest cancer charities.

The partnerships, with cancer charities based across the country, strengthen Dry July’s core purpose of supporting people affected by cancer. The beneficiaries will receive donations from the fundraising activities of Dry July participants.

Since 2008, Dry July has raised over $30 million in the last 10 years and has helped fund over 1,000 projects, including 198 facility upgrades, 179 therapy and wellness programs, wig libraries and chemotherapy scalp cooling machines.

In 2018, the new partners are The Leukaemia Foundation and Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, which join Look Good Feel Better, Cancer Council NSW and...

Airvo humidifiers -Thanks Dry Julyers'

Patients and staff of Calvary Mater Newcastle’s Oncology Ward 5B are very grateful for Dry July funding which has enabled the purchase of two much-needed Airvo humidifiers.

For patients with head and neck cancers, the humidifiers assist with by warming and moistening the air, alleviating drying out of airways and reducing symptoms related to head and neck cancers.

As head and neck cancer patients don’t breath through their noses, airways can dry out quickly causing excess saliva build-up, leading to further complications.

Linda Liversidge, Ward 5B Nursing Unit Manager commented, “It has been fantastic having the Airvo Humidifiers to loan out to patients who have had tracheostomies or laryngectomies. As humidifiers are costly to hire,...

Oncology Equipment Loan Pool - Thanks to Dry Julyers'

Thanks to Dry July funding, the Occupational Therapy Department at Calvary Mater Newcastle was able to purchase a large range of assistive aids for the hospital’s Oncology Equipment Loan Pool.

The Oncology Equipment Loan Pool is a comprehensive service that is provided free of charge to any Calvary Mater Newcastle oncology outpatient receiving treatment. The pool provides a vast range of assistive devices and appliances to help patients manage the functional disabilities that occur with cancer diseases. Equipment includes: wheelchairs, pressure cushions, shower chairs, commodes, raised toilet seats, portable ramps, bathboards, swivel bathseats, to name but a few. At any one point in time up to 300 patients can be benefiting from this...

Scalp coolers purchased through Dry July

Mater Foundation has used Dry July funds to purchase 2 scalp cooling cap systems for Mater Cancer Care Centre Springfield.

Chemotherapy works by targeting all rapidly dividing cells in the body. Hair is the second fastest dividing cell in the body and this is the reason why many chemotherapy drugs cause hair loss. The hair follicles in the growth phase are attached resulting in hair loss approximately 2 weeks after commencement of chemotherapy treatment.

The damage that chemotherapy causes to the hair follicle can be alleviated by using scalp cooling. Scalp cooling works by reducing the temperature of the scalp by a few degrees immediately before, during and after the administration of chemotherapy. This in turn reduces the blood flow to...