Transport to Treatment in Alice Springs
There are a number of reasons patients have difficulty attending appointments with doctors, for procedures or treatment including:
-inability to use public transport due to weakened immune system
- not holding a drivers licence
- unable to drive due to treatment or medication side effects
- limited family or social support networks
- unable to access public or community transport
- financial hardship that prohibits the use of public transport or taxis.
Thanks to funds received from Dry July Foundation in 2018, a transport to Treatment vehicle has been purchased to help these patients. Knowing they have a reliable service to get them to and from treatment will certainly make a difficult time, a little easier for those affected by cancer.
Patient Update: Rob's Story
Rob was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998 and underwent surgery and radiotherapy the same year. Since then, Rob has used a feeding tube, attached to his stomach via a pump which he carries around with him in a backpack. He has not let this hinder his ability to get in to the great outdoors, making sure all his supplies are mobile to suit his active lifestyle. His cancer reoccurred in 2018 and he has been back at The Kinghorn Cancer Centre on a regular basis for further treatment.
Rob has enjoyed attending the Wellness Centre’s Dry July free patient programs, as he finds them to be extremely beneficial in helping him through his treatment – physically and emotionally. He has experienced oncology massage and reflexology, and has taken...
Creative Legacy Program features on TODAY!
Creative Legacy, the award winning arts and health project with Liverpool Hospitals’ Palliative Care service, continues to both evolve and delight. Thanks to grant funding from the 2018 Dry July Foundation, this year the program has trained 12 local professional artists in palliative care in the practice of legacy making with patients and families in palliative care. The program offers connection and joy through conversation and art making. The program was recently featured on channel 9's TODAY show and you can viewhere.
This year saw 5 new artists on the ward as well as several returning artists from the previously funded 'Reflected Legacy' project. New artists on the ward this year needed to be local and to be able to adapt their own...
Finding confidence again through gentle yoga
Cancer diagnosis and treatment is one of the most stressful experiences in patients’ lives and presents challenges for them both physically and emotionally. Thanks to funding from Dry July, a six-week Gentle Yoga program is helping patients regain physical and emotional confidence.
“Yoga enables me to feel better physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually,” says Jackie Edsall, diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2018. “I find yoga provides very necessary soul food for me.”
Melissa Shand is a Gentle Yoga instructor at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre (ONJ Centre) and says yoga can be instrumental in helping patients manage the stress of cancer treatment.
“There is growing evidence of the...
In 2018 Dry July Foundation funded 450 Look Good Feel Better workshops
Following the success of the 2018 Dry July campaign, Dry July Foundation funded 450 Look Good Feel Better workshops helping men and women going through cancer treatment feel more like their normal selves. Here's what some of the participants had to say:
“The Look Good Feel Better workshop felt like a huge reward at the end of my treatment. It encouraged me to move forward with renewed confidence. I also felt humbled to see other women, travelling a far harder and longer road, blossom and laugh in the nurturing environment of Look Good Feel Better.” Susan, past participant
“This experience was way above my expectations. It was fantastic to be amongst other ladies who were going through similar experiences to myself and to have the genuine...
How Adry found his place in the world after cancer
Only months from finishing high school and feeling bulletproof, high achieving student Adry Awan received the news no young man expects to hear.
After months of drastic weight loss, muscle aches and a mysterious lump, Adry knew something was wrong, but he still went into shock when his doctor said: “you have testicular cancer”. The cancer had spread to vital organs. It felt like a nightmare.
“At that point in my life, I had enough to worry about – passing the HSC, getting a date for my formal and deciding on a university degree,” he recalls. “I didn’t want to believe my doctor – it was so difficult to accept.”
As Adry faced this “new normal”, he tried so hard to maintain his study, perform his school captain duties and spend time with...
Young mum Sarah and her McGrath Breast Care Nurse, Rikki
Young mum of two boys under three, Sarah, was at the end of her maternity leave when she decided to get a baseline test of her breasts last August. She had a family history of breast cancer, so she wanted to get a test so she knew what normal looked like for her.
After that first mammogram, an abnormality was discovered and a biopsy the same day confirmed it was breast cancer. Treatment for the initial diagnoses would normally involve a lumpectomy, but considering her family history, Sarah opted for a double mastectomy which found additional, more aggressive cancer cells.
It was in her first appointment with the breast surgeon that Sarah met Rikki Hopkins, her McGrath Breast Care Nurse.
"I didn’t really know anything about having someone...
2018 Grant funding update: Mildura-based McGrath Breast Care Nurse, Louise James
In 2018, Dry July Foundation awarded a grant to McGrath Foundation to continue the placement of an existing McGrath Breast Care Nurse.
Louise James is a McGrath Foundation Breast Care Nurse, based in Mildura, VIC. Louise has said, “I provide support to people with breast cancer and their families, coordinating their care and unpacking medical jargon so that each person understands what is happening. I give people time. Time to understand their diagnosis, time to decide on the right treatment for them and time to appreciate their timeline. I’m also incredibly passionate about breast health understanding and encourage people to get to know their bodies so that they know what is normal for them. Thanks to the support of the Dry July...
Dry July offering a room with a view
With the support of the Dry July Foundation The Alfred has installed a new sky ceiling to help patients feel at ease while undergoing radiotherapy treatment. By offering this room with a view we hope to be able to improve the overall experience a person has when being treated for cancer.
The caring and committed team of doctors, nurses and specialists working within our cancer services are continually looking at ways to improve their patients’ experience. The implementation of the sky ceiling panels above the radiotherapy machine will help do that. Patients could be undergoing treatment for up to 40 minutes, now they can look up and concentrate on the sky, the shapes of the clouds or the colours in the trees. It will give them something...