BCNA's Helpline refocus - some changes being made to the Helpline

@arpie

I feel very much let down by this development on the part of BCNA, that is, the removal of a breast care nurse from the support help line.

When I was diagnosed four years ago and was struggling to understand treatment options there was no breast care nurse, McGrath or otherwise, for me.

There was one WA Cancer Council nurse to handle the whole of the Kimberley and Pilbara regions. She was based in Kununurra. It took two weeks for my call for help to be returned.

By that time I had flown to Perth twice!

Using the McGrath Foundation "Find a McGrath Nurse" link, there are four McGrath nurses in the Northern Territory (1800 kms) and one in Perth (2300kms).

BCNA is "my" organisation. It is comforting to know that there is / was a breast care nurse available on my support helpline.

I deplore this move. It was never the intention of BCNA's founder Lyn Swinburne. Her philosophy was that no one should ever go through a diagnosis of breast cancer alone. A breast care nurse available on the support helpline provides that sense of not being alone.