Hello everyone and welcome to Friday’s update.
First up, I just wanted to let you know that the Policy Team has put together a more detailed news item about the Federal budget.
You can check it out on the website: https://www.bcna.org.au/news/2018/05/2018-federal-budget/ It highlights seven things, which are likely to be of interest / relevant to our members.
1. Funding for ribociclb to be added to the PBS
2. 3-D mammography
3. Funding for rural health
4. Public hospital funding
5. The Government’s investment in the PBS
6. The investment in medical research
7. Funding for palliative care
Pink Bun Campaign last few days
Just a few days left to buy your Bakers Delight Pink Buns. Help BCNA support the 18,000 Australians with breast cancer. 100% of Pink Buns sold around the country will be donated to Breast Cancer Network Australia.
In the last days of the campaign, we encourage you all to take a photo of yourself with a Pink Bun with the hashtag #SweetWaytosupportBCNA
Community highlights
Every week we have so much variety in the posts being shared in the online network. These can include questions about treatments, updates on how things are going, and celebrating milestones. Here are some popular conversations you might have missed:
Strategies for those rough days
Thread commenced by @MoiraC which highlights the ups and downs of breast cancer and feeling ‘out of control’ in her usual humorous way. Our online community provided wonderful peer support and assistance with some strategies for when the going gets tough.
Great thread commenced by @Sister, intrigued by the working lives of our online community members. I really enjoyed this thread as it provided me with the opportunity to get to know you better.
Another great thread commenced by @RR regarding suitable headwear during chemotherapy. Lots of good ideas here!
In the news…
Professor Christobel Saunders (former BCNA board member, cancer researcher and professor of surgical oncology at University of Western Australia) was part of an hour-long panel discussion program on ABC Queensland with author Josie Dietrich and ABC host Emma Griffiths about alternative/complimentary therapies in breast cancer.
Josie’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 40s and decided to go the alternative therapies route with treatment which did not go well. Josie herself was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years after her mother’s death, and as a result of seeing what her mum went through decided to do the opposite and did every single medical thing possible and as a result is doing really well. She’s written a book about the whole thing called
In Danger: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/in-danger-a-memoir-of-family-and-hope-9780702259876
This hour of discussion is really even-handed about the whole minefield and has some good interjections from talkback callers. Christobel in particular is great when talking about why people might want to forsake medical treatment for alternative therapies, and what medicos can do to make the conventional medical treatment pathway less scary and overwhelming for patients. It also covers clinical trials as well. See the link below
Link here: http://www.abc.net.au/radio/brisbane/programs/focus/focus-on-breast-cancer/9725806
Deb is a world leader in occupational skin care and hand hygiene, and is BCNA’s newest partner.
Deb’s purpose is to MAKE HANDS MATTER in the WORKPLACE, providing businesses with expert advice and an extensive range to the commercial, industrial and healthcare industries.
For over 80 years, they’ve been implementing skin care programmes to increase efficiency, improve skin health and prevent infection.
Deb Australia is proudly supporting BCNA. For every BCNA dispenser placed, Deb makes a donation to BCNA.
If your workplace would like to install a BCNA dispenser for sanitiser, hand wash, or shower gel, please get in contact with Deb – (02) 8763 1800, or email sales@debgroup.com.
Pink Lady Luncheon Brisbane Volunteers Needed
We’re thrilled to advise that the Pink Lady Luncheon in Brisbane has sold out! Due to this we are packing 550 gift bags on Tuesday 22 May in the afternoon / evening and would love some help. We’ll be packing gift bags from 3pm in the afternoon and will take approximately 2 – 3hrs to complete.
To register your interest, please contact Chloe Douglas at specialevents@bcna.org.au or 1800 500 258.
Development of Supportive Care in Cancer Resources Through Consumer Co-design
The Cancer Nursing Research Group at the University of Melbourne, and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, are inviting cancer consumers (current cancer patients, survivors, family members, and support people) and clinicians working with people affected by cancer (multidisciplinary health care professionals, non-governmental agencies and Consumer advocacy groups), to take part in a study to guide the development of new supportive care resources to raise awareness of the value and importance of supportive care in cancer.
Phase 1 will include a series of three consumer focus group, three clinician focus groups and a combined consumer and clinician focus group. The focus groups will take place at different times, places and dates for the convenience of people taking part, and they will last for no longer than 1.5 hours. There will be will be about 5-10 people in each group.
Phase 2 will include audio or video recording of people talking about their experiences of cancer and of receiving/delivering supportive care. Participants can choose to be involved in phase 1 only or in both phase 1 and phase 2 of the study.
If you would like to know more about this study or are interested in taking part please contact: Carol Jewell, Research Assistant, Cancer Nursing Research Group, Department of Nursing, University of Melbourne: Tel: + 61 3 8559 6146, Email: carol.jewell@unimelb.edu.au
The Supportive Care in Cancer Refresh Project is supported by the Victorian Government.
BCNA needs photos for our new work and breast cancer program
We are developing an information hub on the BCNA webpage, focusing on issues around work after a breast cancer diagnosis. BCNA is proud to feature real people in all of the photos we use so we would like to include photos of you in your workplace that we can feature on our webpage. These photos could be of you at your desk, on a computer, cutting someone’s hair, serving a customer, talking to your manager/colleagues, or anything else that shows you doing your job.
Please email high resolution photos you would be happy for us to use on our website, within presentations or in our resources and promotional material.
Email photos to photos@bcna.org.au and include your name in the subject line.
Thanks in advance! BCNA
I have enjoyed reading your posts regarding your favorite quotes so I thought I would add one of my own. I was recently given a small set of reflective cards and though I would share one with all of you today
“Every day may not be good, but there is something good in everyday”
Hoping you all have a great weekend,
Giovanna
