Helping people affected by cancer

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...

2019 Dry July funds helped Mummy’s Wish create 300 Care Packs!

Since 1st January 2020 Mummy's Wish has sent out 300 Care packs to mums with cancer across Australia. These Care Packs are posted to all mums registered with us to help prepare and support them and their families as mum goes through treatment for cancer.

Each Care Pack includes:

• The Mummy’s Wish voice recordable Comfort Bear provided for each child aged 12 and under in the family. Mum is able to record a message of love for her little one/s that the child can listen to and feel reassured whenever they are separated from their mum due to her treatment.

• Age appropriate therapeutic book(s) for her children that assists mums in discussing their cancer journey and associated emotions with their children. The books resourced have been...

Thanks to funds raised through Dry July 2019, comfort and colour transforms cancer patient waiting areas

With the help of funds raised by 2019 Dry July participants, patients and carers are walking into more comfortable and welcoming space thanks to an upgrade of the Westmead Hospital Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre.

New lounges and chairs, phone charging stations, TV screens, sound absorption wall tiles, and a fresh colour scheme with Australian-themed artworks are among the features of the five overhauled patient waiting rooms, designed from scratch with consumer input.

Lung cancer patient and Vietnam War veteran Steven Chamulko said he appreciated the thought that went into the redesign.

“When you walk into somewhere that’s colourful, light and bright you feel better, rather than somewhere drab that gets you down,” Steven said.

“I’ve...

BRICC Wellness Centre benefits from 2019 Dry July funds!

The funds raised for BRICC Wellness Centre from last year’s Dry July campaign helped support the services on offer which are complimentary for patients of the facility and their families.

The patients utilised a range of services featured, all helping them throughout their journey, providing advice, guidance, support and a range of other services. Whether it was yoga, relaxation, mindfulness, bra and breast form fittings, art therapy, financial advice, all of these programs are of great benefit to BRICC patients.

Along with funding a range of offerings the Dry July campaign proudly supported the oncology massage program, which delivered nearly 1000 massages last year to cancer patients within the Ballarat and Grampians region.

A chance at life through exercise

By supporting ONJ Cancer Centre through Dry July you will help cancer patients reap the benefits of regular exercise during their treatment and recovery.

International research shows exercise is an effective therapy for cancer patients to improve their overall health and wellbeing while undergoing treatments such as chemotherapy. However, about 60 to 70 per cent of people with cancer do not do enough aerobic exercises and 80 to 90 per cent do not do enough resistance exercises during cancer treatment. People who are more physically active have lower recurrence rates, reduced metastatic rates and a higher chance of beating cancer as a disease.

Diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome in 2016, Lori Crupi’s world became one of chemotherapy,...

New sleep pods added in the Canberra Region Cancer Centre!

Through the wonderful support of the Dry July community in 2019, new sleep pods were added to the waiting areas in the Canberra Region Cancer Centre.

These sleep pods provide privacy and comfort for patients waiting between appointments and procedures. Fundraising for Canberra Hospital Foundation supports cancer patient in our region, many who travel long distances to receive treatment.

Your help allows the Foundation to fund the tea trolley for refreshments, floral displays throughout the Centre and our Therapeutic Harpist to provide a comforting and caring environment.

Kind Hands Massage Program

One of the many programs made possible through 2019 Dry July funding at the PA Hospital is the Kind Hands Massage Program.

As a result of an outpatient survey prepared by the Princess Alexandra Hospital’s (PAH) Cancer Services Division in 2018 examining what wellness meant for patients attending cancer services, and what could be done to improve their wellbeing, relaxation and massage were recurrent.

Subsequently, the Cancer Wellness Initiative group began working with PAH Volunteer Services to establish the Kind Hands Massage program in 2019. A select team of volunteers now offers gentle hand or foot massages to patients on Ward 2E and in Day Care Oncology on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in the morning and afternoon.

Feedback from patients...