Hello everyone,
Welcome to our last Friday update for 2020.
A very warm welcome to all our new members who have joined us in the last few weeks. I hope you are settling in and finding your way around. You may like to view the following links Community Guidelines and Navigating the online community which will assist you when posting online.
What a year it has been, I want to take this opportunity to thank all our online community members who continue to provide peer support to our new members and each other. I am very grateful for all the amazing work you voluntarily do for BCNA to ensure that new members feel welcomed. Providing support, guidance, wisdom and a listening ear when needed. You give of your time and energy to help others at a time of great need and I really do thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Sending one very big ‘Cyber HUG’!!!
This year BCNA will close at 5 pm on Wednesday 23 December 2020 and will reopen at 9 am on Wednesday 6 January 2021.
Community News
Each week we have so many great posts, here are some that you may have missed…
1. First appt by @CarrieP, I hope that all went well with your first oncology appointment and that you have more information and a clear treatment plan, all the best.
2. This Christmas I will be… Absolutely great thread, love the Christmas puddings!
3. Friday Funnies my favourite this fortnight by @arpie
Community Update
Practical and
financial assistance
Help with transport, accommodation and financial costs and legal issues.
Cancer Council can assist with transport and accommodation costs and in some cases can provide accommodation for regional patients and their carers travelling a long distance for treatment. Click here to see what support is available in your state or territory.
Men Get Breast Cancer Too
Let’s be Upfront about the fact that men get breast cancer too. 63-year-old Tasmanian Phil Purnell had no idea that men could get breast cancer when he found a lump in his breast and was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma (stage 2 breast cancer) in March. In this episode, Phil shares a candid insight into his breast cancer journey as a man, which was further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Also joining us is breast cancer specialist, radiation oncologist and author, Professor John Boyages, who has written booklets on the subject of male breast cancer. To listen to podcast.
Vulnerability and strength. Peta Murphy on breast cancer
In this special episode of Upfront About Breast Cancer, we’re joined by federal parliamentarian Peta Murphy MP. Peta was first diagnosed with early breast cancer at age 37, and found out she had metastatic breast cancer nine years later, just two days after she was sworn into parliament.
We invited Peta to put a rear-view lens on her life with breast cancer and write a letter to herself. In this podcast, you’ll hear that letter as well as Peta’s story in her own words.
We recommend that listeners exercise self-care when listening to this podcast, as some may find the content upsetting.
The 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Summary
The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2020 (SABCS 2020) is one of the most important breast cancer conferences in the world and brings together the world’s leading breast cancer researchers, including those from Breast Cancer Trials.
Click here to read the conference summary.
Inspirational quote
‘What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.’
- Nelson Mandela
The mod team,
Giovanna, Laura, Michelle, Pat & Riki
