Friday update 12 February 2021
Hello everyone,
Welcome to today’s Friday update. We hope you are travelling well and enjoying
some of the warmer weather that we have been having lately. Hopefully you are not heading into lockdown, as is happening in Victoria tonight!
For all of our new members who have joined over the last few
weeks, don’t forget to have a look around the online network and check out the
Categories tab in the left hand side of the top navigation bar.
We have a category called Day to Day which you may like to
view. It has past discussions regarding
inspiration, motivation, movies, gardening, hobbies, furry
friends and is the place to talk about life in general.
It includes the sub categories called Creative
Corner & Night Howls.
Creative Corner
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Creative COVID projects
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Quilters
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Favourite childhood toys and memories
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Writing to express yourself
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Sewing…does anyone sew?
Night Howls – Having trouble
sleeping? Connect with others going
through similar.
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Improving night-time sleep problems for people with
cancer
Community highlights
1. I think I’m reading too much ☹ by @looeeze
2. A tiny inflatable boat in a huge storm by @Riotatmidnight (great username!)
@RiotAtMidnight & @looeeze, so glad you have found our supportive online community, wishing you both all the best with your treatment.
3. Marilyn’s not in my destiny by @sister, great photo, looks like it was heaps of fun!
Community news
Announcement SPARK Plus access program
Fulvestrant to be
reimbursed through Novartis SPARK Plus program
Novartis
has made changes to its SPARK Plus Access Program for its CDK inhibitor Kisqali
(ribociclib). People enrolled on this program will now be reimbursed for the
cost incurred of any fulvestrant bought on or after 1 January 2021.
Since
May last year, Australians with hormone receptor positive, HER2-negative
locally advanced (inoperable) or metastatic breast cancer have been able to
access Kisqali free of charge through the SPARK Plus access program for first-
or second-line treatment if they meet the following criteria:
- First line treatment – must not have been treated with a hormone blocking therapy for
advanced or metastatic breast cancer; - Second line treatment – where the cancer has progressed following treatment with hormone
blocking therapy for locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer and you
have not been treated previously with a CDK inhibitor for metastatic
disease.
The SPARK Plus program has now been extended so that anyone
enrolled on the program will be reimbursed by Novartis for the full cost
incurred of fulvestrant bought on or after 1 January 2021.
If
you are eligible for the access program, your breast cancer clinician will be
able to enrol you to give you free access to Kisqali and a full reimbursement
of your costs incurred for fulvestrant.
If
you are already on the program, you will be able to be reimbursed for any
fulvestrant bought this year.
New SPARK Plus enrolments - If you are not already
enrolled in the SPARK Plus program, your clinician will need to complete the enrolment
information. Please note that eligibility criteria apply.
Information for people with cancer about
COVID-19
As restrictions are starting to ease in some states, Cancer Australia
encourages immunocompromised
cancer patients to continue
practicing the following
February is ovarian
cancer awareness month.
Know your body and be ovarian cancer aware
iPrevent is a breast cancer risk assessment
and risk management decision support tool designed to facilitate prevention and
screening discussions between women and their doctors. Click here for more information and to access
the tool.
Pink Sports Days are back for
2021!
After a year of cancelled
community sport, BCNA is thrilled to announce that 2021 registrations to host a
Pink Sports Day are now open via the new PLAY4BCNA Pink Sports Day
platform. We are all excited to hear the sounds of the referee’s whistle,
cheering from the sidelines and the puffing from participants again! This
new site enables online registration, merchandise purchasing, Pink Sports Day
news and event fundraising pages.
Hosting a PLAY4BCNA Pink Sports
Day is a wonderful opportunity to bring your community back together whilst
raising vital funds to help BCNA support, inform, connect, and represent all
Australians affected by breast cancer. We can’t wait to see all of the
wonderful pink support back out on the fields, courts and pitches across the
country.
To find out more visit out site
This week’s reflective quote
‘If you want to
make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes
your partner.’
-
Nelson Mandela
Enjoy your weekend (it may be a quiet one if you are in lockdown!)
The mod team
Giovanna, Laura,
Michelle and Pat
Comments
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Hi Ladies, Am I allowed to enjoy it even if I am in lockdown?0
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Hi @Blossom1961 absolutely! I meant to say that it may be a quite one in lockdown. Hope all is going well.2
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Ah lockdown! We're presently away holidaying and had to bed down before the midnight time frame.
Camping on a lake with 5k rule.......weather is pleasant but we're fortunate not work/business affected this time. Certainly is hard yards for some!1 -
I was just teasing. I am enjoying lockdown as it beats the bullying I was previously in. Life is good now. I am getting my confidence back.2
