Helping people affected by cancer

Thanks to the incredible fundraising efforts of our Dry July participants every year, the Dry July Foundation is able to help local and national cancer support organisations across Australia deliver practical, tangible support services for people affected by cancer.

Everything we fund is to benefit cancer patients, their families and carers, aiming to make a difficult time, a little easier for people affected by cancer.

A shoulder to lean on. A comforting voice. A place to relax. This is why we Dry July.

Register your interest for Dry July 2024

Where the money goes

Male cancer support worker on the phone, smiling
Information and Support Services

McGrath Foundation breast care nurse and a patient
Specialist Cancer Nurses

People lying down on yoga mats in a class
Wellness Programs

Brown chemotherapy chairs in a cancer centre
Cancer Centre Improvements

Cancer Council car outside Cancer Council Tasmania building
Accommodation and Transport

Woman looking in a mirror smiling
Comfort and Support Items


Organisations we support

The Dry July Foundation is proud to support numerous cancer organisations across Australia.

Some of the organisations who benefit from our fundraising include:

Bowel Cancer Australia logo

Cancer Council logo

Leukaemia Foundation logo

McGrath Foundation logo

Ovarian Cancer Australia logo

Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia logo

To see the full list of cancer support organisations we fund, please click here.

Dry July funds are providing accommodation for patients of the Andrew Love Cancer Centre

The Dry July Foundation funded the refurbishment of both the inside and outside of the accommodation at Baa-Lee Lodges.

These units are accommodation for patients undergoing regular treatments at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre.

With funds raised through the recent Dry July campaigns, the team have been able to ensure the space is kept comfortable and made to feel like a home away from home.

Recent additions to the units include side consoles. The console provides storage for patients and their families so they can unpack and feel comfortable and not like they are living from their suitcase during their stay.

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Suzi's Story

As a doctor of Chinese Medicine, exploring complementary therapies was a given when Suzi was diagnosed with breast cancer just months prior to her 40th birthday.

Now mid-way through chemotherapy, Suzi credits Bendigo Health’s Cancer Wellness Program as a pivotal ingredient in dealing with the side effects of treatment, especially managing impacts on her mental health.

Suzi describes feeling fortunate that physical her symptoms seem more manageable than others she has met, including patients in her own practice who are going through similar treatments.

Initially, Suzi visited the Gobbé Wellness Centre to consider wig options, “I had lost a lot of hair after the first round of treatment and was conscious of how I looked. I had decided...

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Your 2022 Dry July funds are making a big difference for Bendigo Health

Bendigo Health’s Cancer Wellness Coordinator, Jenna Sing, was recently named as the Fundraising Champion of the Year at the Fundraising Institute of Australia‘s National Awards for Excellence.

Ms Sing, who works with Bendigo Health and oversees its well-regarded Cancer Wellness Program, said she was honoured to receive the award for her role in advocating for donations to support the work she is passionate about. “It is lovely to be recognised as the Fundraising Champion of the Year, however it is the generosity of our community that really needs to be acknowledged here.” Ms Sing said.

“I am fortunate to work in a role that allows me to work within the Gobbé Wellness Centre and help local cancer patients with complementary therapies such...

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Eleonore's Story

Thank you Solaris... my lighthouse during the storm of cancer! I wasn’t ready for cancer... I pushed people away a lot because I just wasn’t ready to talk about it.

I couldn’t move, I had no energy, I lost my hair. Some days, even having a shower is a big thing. And the kids, they always want you to do things with them, but we couldn’t go to the gym or other things because they were high risk activities for me and my immune system can’t cope. So I couldn’t drive them around or do their homework with them.Asking for help isn’t easy.

My cancer surgeon told me to reach out to Solaris but it’s hard to move from being a giver to a receiver. I did not know how to receive. But when you trust the knife of a lady, why not trust her words? So my...

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Strength, Resilience, and Hope: The Impact of Exercise Wellness Programs on ONJ Centre Cancer Patients

Exercise services offered at the ONJ Centre’s Wellness Gym are vital to strengthening the mind, body, and spirit of patients with a cancer diagnosis.

The exercise programs assist patients through individually tailored and group exercise sessions that meet their current fitness levels. These programs and exercises are designed to build and restore strength, resilience, and hope in patients throughout their cancer treatment, and form an integral part of their weekly routine.

Senior Physiotherapists at the ONJ Centre, Clare O’Donell and Kristen Capron, worked on an educational video titled ‘VidEx’, which promotes and endorses exercise throughout the course of cancer treatment for those with a recent cancer diagnosis.

Kristen says, “In my...

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Your Dry July fundraising in 2022 has helped patients living with cancer continue to have access to our world class wellness therapies at the ONJ Centre

Our Wellness Team supports patients’ body, mind, and soul alongside their medical treatment.

Through the 2022 Dry July fundraising campaign, $60,000 was raised for exercise physiology programs at the Wellness Gym and for Psychology services provided at the ONJ Centre.

The exercise physiology team has worked diligently to increase the visibility and credibility of the Wellness Gym at the ONJ Centre, and the efforts put in have provided an environment for the service to flourish. Referral to the Wellness Gym is part of the ongoing conversation with patients, clinical staff, and doctors.

Given that the Wellness Gym is still in its growth stage, the message about exercise physiology is clear and we need to continue fostering this message to...

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Updated Equipment thanks to 2022 Dry July funds

With existing patient observations machines (used to take blood pressure, temperature etc) on the ward at end of life, our nurses reached out expressing a need to urgently replace three.

Dry July saved us!

Thanks to Dry July we now have three new machines rolling around the ward delivering patient data to us more efficiently and inevitably providing a much more comfortable service to patients with such speedy results.

In addition to this new equipment, Dry July has also funded 10 new durable, waterproof, round edged, height adjustable over bed tables for patients.

Thank you Dry July for providing funding for us to purchase this equipment to benefit patients on C7W Ward Wollongong Hospital!

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Patients showing visible and enthusiastic relief thanks to your 2022 Dry July funds

The Occupational Therapy (OT) Department continues to provide a valuable and free Oncology Loan Pool service to all patients receiving oncology or haematology treatment at Calvary Mater Newcastle.

In 2022, the Oncology Loan Pool was able to assist 332 people living with cancer thanks to the generous support of Dry July funding.

The department’s extensive loan pool includes nearly 900 items and has expanded its range to include over 90 different styles.Having these items gives OT staff the opportunity to trial equipment to find the most comfortable and appropriate way to support patients’ independence, avoiding delays and costly home modifications.

Donna Waldron, Occupational Therapy Technical Assistant, says, “Our patients are...

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Sheryl's Story

Inspirational Dreamer Sheryl wears her kilt or her “warrior outfit” for every chemotherapy and oncology appointment - she calls herself ‘Shezza Braveheart’.

“My cancer journey commenced in 2018 when I ‘accidentally’ discovered a large tumour under my right breast. Fast-forward to 2021, and the cancer had metastasized and I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer,” said Sheryl.

Sheryl had always dreamt of visiting the Outback and decided she needed something to get through the challenging months ahead, something to aim for, something to live for.

“I couldn’t believe it when I found out about Dreams2Live4. I applied online and received a phone call from Louise, one of the Dream Makers,” explained Sheryl.

“It was the best phone call I could have...

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