Helping people affected by cancer

New items for Oncology Ward 5B

Thanks to the fundraising of Dry July participants in 2019, the Oncology Ward (Ward 5B) at Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital will be able to fund the following:

o Communication Boards: Dry wipe boards to help non-verbal (Tracheotomy) patients communicate with doctors, nurses, family and friends while staying on the ward

o Comfort care items for patients to make their stay on the ward more comfortable, including rechargeable hand held fans, eye masks and ear plugs.

Dry July Wellness Program at Bendigo Health's Cancer Centre

Funds raised from Dry July 2019 will go towards a Wellness Program at Bendigo Health's Cancer Centre.

The new Wellness Program will incorporate oncology massage, cancer rehabilitation, yoga, meditation, music and pet therapy and, importantly, a coordinator to connect our patients to the services that best meets their physical and emotional needs.

More than a quarter of a million people in central Victoria rely on Bendigo Health when they need specialist treatment and care. Developing a Wellness Program will bring the Cancer Centre in line with other regional and metropolitan Cancer Centres and provide our patients with access to programs that will promote peer support and reduce some of the burden of the disease.

A Wellness Program...

Dry July 2019 funds support Wellness Lounge Programs and Patient Comfort Items

Dry July Foundation is proud to support Barwon Health's Andrew Love Cancer Centre (ALCC) with funds raised from Dry July 2019.

This includes the continuation of the Wellness Lounge Programs, such as Art Therapy and Exercise Therapy.

Art therapy allows patients to benefit from the emotional outlet of art. The art is something positive for bedridden patients to focus on and allows them to step outside the clinical aspect of hospital admissions. Outpatient art therapy provides a social and expressive distraction therapy for cancer patients and their carers while dealing with the impact of this disease

Exercise therapy is supported by the clinicians and is in line with current research into best practice cancer care. Patients are encouraged to...

Dry July Foundation helps fund Ba-Lee Lodge renovation

Thanks to funds raised through Dry July 2019, the Dry July Foundation has been able to fund the partial renovation of the Ba-Lee Lodge.

Ba-Lee Lodge complex comprises 5 self-contained accommodation units, a communal laundry and al fresco area. These units were donated following the Bali bombing disaster by the Lee family. They are now approximately 17 years old and desperately need a refurbishment.

Creating a home away from home is the aim of these units. Cancer Patients from the Barwon South Western region who are attending Andrew Love Cancer Centre (ALCC) and University Hospital Geelong (UHG) for consultation, treatment, surgery or recovery may need accommodation for anywhere from one night to several months.

Many patients return to...

Dry July 2019 fundraising will support Redkite's Cancer Journey Program for Young People

Dry July Foundation is proud to support Redkite's Cancer Journey Program for Young People, thanks to funds raised through Dry July 2019.

For a young person, a cancer diagnosis comes as a significant shock. Cancer treatment brings unfamiliar surroundings, lengthy stays away from home, social isolation, complex medical terminology and painful procedures. Feelings of uncertainty, fear, alienation, resentment and loss of control can overwhelm young people and their families. Life after treatment continues to be stressful as they adjust to a new normal; the physical impacts of treatment can be ongoing and there is the continued fear of relapse.

Redkite’s Community-Based Social Workers provide quality support to help people adjust to a cancer...

Dry July Foundation co-funds Diagnosis Support Packs for Young People

Dry July funds from 2019 will help co-fund Redkite's Diagnosis Support Packs for Young People.

Each year, approximately 1,100 adolescents and young adults will be diagnosed with cancer, overnight their world is completely turned upside-down. They can go straight from receiving their test results and diagnosis at their local doctor, to a hospital emergency department to begin life-saving cancer treatment, leaving no time to pack any clothes, toiletries and other necessities for the weeks or months that lie ahead in hospital.

The Redkite diagnosis support pack for young people is a resource given at the point of a cancer diagnosis, containing age-appropriate information about managing education and work, considerations about fertility, and...

Dry July Foundation helps fund more McGrath Breast Care Nurses around the country

Dry July funds in 2019 will go towards funding the McGrath Breast Care Nurse Program, which provides invaluable support and care to women and men experiencing breast cancer.

Funding will go towards 4 nurses based in Albury/Wodonga VIC, Frankston VIC, Gatton QLD and Sunshine Coast QLD, and 2 part-time nurses based in Port Augusta SA and Kalgoorlie WA

McGrath Breast Care Nurses provide invaluable support and care to women and men experiencing breast cancer. From diagnosis right throughout treatment, the individual and their families are supported for free and with no referral.

A breast cancer diagnosis changes people’s lives, often in ways you wouldn’t expect. The impact can be felt right through their network of family and friends. As...

Dry July Foundation funds 420 Look Good Feel Better workshops

Thanks to funds raised from Dry July 2019 campaign, Look Good Feel Better will receive funding for 420 confidence-building workshops.

These workshops cover skincare techniques to address common side-effects like dryness and sun sensitivity; makeup tips to help correct and conceal redness, sallowness, pigmentation and dark circles as well as techniques for drawing on eyebrows; and advice on headwear including scarf styling and wig selection.

Each participant receives a complimentary Confidence Kit full of skincare and make-up products donated by the cosmetic industry, and an instruction booklet to use as tools for application throughout the workshop and for continued use in their own homes.

Participants also benefit from the opportunity to...

Dry July Foundation helps fund Leukaemia Foundation’s National Transport to Treatment Program

Funds raised from Dry July 2019 will directly support the Leukaemia Foundation’s National Transport to Treatment Program.

Every day another 35 Australians are diagnosed with a blood cancer. That is one Australian every 41 minutes and 60,000 Australians living with a blood cancer right now.

The transport service has been designed to relieve some of the pressures faced by people with blood cancer and their families; particularly those with no access to transport, limited finances or have relocated for cancer treatments from rural and remote locations.

The service ensures that patients are not compromising their weakened immune systems by travelling by public transport or general taxi services and are arriving at appointments safely and on...