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.
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.
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.
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.