The Think Pink Foundation & breast cancer funding

 

In 2008, Doreen Akkerman, our then Director of Cancer Information and Support Services, recorded this video about the Think Pink Foundation and the importance of Breast Care Nurses.

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Transcript:

Your generosity will help support the 3,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

Doreen Akkerman: Every year 3,000 Victorian women are diagnosed with breast cancer. The ongoing support of the Think Pink Foundation helps the Cancer Council continue to lead the fight against cancer and deliver specialised support to all women affected by breast cancer.

These women rely on the specialist information and care from breast care nurses to help them through their breast cancer journey. Many women also face financial hardship and it's not uncommon for families to have to go without food for eating and warm clothes for their children. Think Pink are the only foundation offering payment for practical needs for women with breast cancer and their families.

Donations to the Think Pink Foundation enable the Cancer Council Helpline to fund the education of specialist Breast Care Nurses to care for women in regional and metropolitan areas.

Donations also enable the Cancer Council Helpline to provide financial support to breast cancer patients in desperate need of assistance to help them pay for everyday family necessities such as gas, electricity, telephone bills, transport to treatment and childcare whilst the mother is having treatment.

With your help we can continue to provide this critical service to the Victorian community. We're asking you to think of the women and families who'll be facing a cold winter this year, especially in rural Victoria where they've already dealt with bushfires and droughts and now breast cancer.

A donation of $500 or more can ensure quality of life for these women. The distribution of these funds goes to genuine cases, with no administration costs charged. So please be generous tonight and spread the warmth of your caring, to those most in need.

Your donations will help pay for specialised support and everyday family necessities

Rita Marigliani (breast cancer survivor): When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, 6 years ago when I was 33, it came at a time in my life when I was young, I was fit, I'd just begun a new relationship. It was the last thing I expected, and of course it was a big shock.

The Think Pink Foundation and their support of Breast Care Nurses meant I was able to access a breast care nurse through my journey, and she was really like the lynch pin of services that I was able to access. She was the constant face. Someone who could link me in to breast care services, support groups, medical services and was a constant source of support. She really made a difference to my journey.

The Think Pink Foundation also supported the Young Women Talking DVD project which allowed us produce the DVD and make it available to young women across Australia. And I know that's made a huge difference to women who are first diagnosed and are going through the shock and feelings of isolation that I felt when I was first diagnosed. So that they can feel connected and realise that they're not the only ones that are going through that process, as well as link in to the services that are available.

I'd really like to thank the Think Pink Foundation and the committee for all the hard work, and everyone that's donated and supported this cause. It's really important to support women who are going through breast cancer, and the services that this committee help to provide, make a real difference.

‘You can help support more women affected by breast cancer.'

Liz Newstead (Think Pink Breast Care Nurse scholarship recipient): Think Pink Foundation really makes it possible for women to become breast care nurses and actually get out there and really make a difference to a person with breast cancer.

I learnt from doing the breast care course, what the women's needs are when they do come in to hospital, and how important it is for them to meet a breast care nurse before they go into surgery and again when they come out of surgery, and the difference it makes in them making decisions about their treatment from then on.

It teaches you to support the women emotionally and psycho-socially. A lot of the women's problems aren't just about breast cancer - there's a huge impact on the whole family.

The women that we support through the breast cancer experience are really grateful that we're there to help them. We work with the treatment team and help the women make decisions about their treatment and keep them well informed so that they feel they're making the decisions themselves and they're not being forced into treatment options that they aren't wanting.

A lot of families struggle and a cancer diagnosis is a big strain on a family budget. There are a lot of costs that a family will incur, whether it's for travel to and from the city, or just for treatment involved or things such as wigs. It's a lot of money to buy a wig for a lady so that she can maintain working and a normal lifestyle without everyone asking her questions.

I think the most rewarding aspect of being a breast care nurse is really being able to make a difference for these women. These women are so scared when they come in, and they need a lot of reassurance and support and to see that life will get back to relatively normal. They'll see things differently maybe, but there is life after this breast cancer journey.

Specialised training of breast care nurses would not be possible without the funding from Think Pink supporters.

Doreen Akkerman: Your support to the Think Pink Foundation enables the Cancer Council Helpline to help women come to terms with their cancer experience. We urge you to donate as much as possible to ensure quality of life for these women. A donation of $1,200 will pay for one breast care nurse scholarship. A donation of $500 will help pay for one family's heating and telephone bills. A donation of $350 will help pay for a wig.

Thank you for your generous donations. We know the enormous difference these support services make to the lives of women with breast cancer.

Please give generously. Your support can make a world of difference.

For more information please contact the Cancer Council Helpline on 13 11 20.

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