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New breast service for Auckland women
Breast Cancer Foundation NZ has partnered with Waitematā District Health Board to build a new diagnostic breast service which will radically improve the way patients in North and West Auckland are assessed and treated. Kia Ū Ora, which opened in mid-February in North Shore Hospital, brings together all breast diagnostic services into one area so that patients can be diagnosed and treated sooner. The clinic also features additional mammogram and ultrasound machines, and a new oncoplastic breast fellowship to train surgeons in advanced breast surgery techniques.
BCFNZ made a record $1 million grant - the largest grant the charity has ever gifted - towards the breast service. Justine Smyth, chair of BCFNZ, said: “Our $1 million contribution to Kia Ū Ora is recognition of just how important this service is. It’s crucial that everyone who is referred by their GP to North Shore Hospital is seen quickly so that any breast cancer found can be treated as early as possible, giving the best chance of survival.
We recently announced our $600,000 research grant, which was awarded to Dr Annette Lasham (University of Auckland) and Associate Professor Logan Walker (University of Otago). The four-year study, which will research breast cancer in women under 45, was named for media personality Helena McAlpine, who helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for BCFNZ’s research programmes before her death from breast cancer in 2015, aged just 37. The Helena McAlpine Young Women’s Breast Cancer Study hopes to improve treatment selection and reduce deaths for young women diagnosed with breast cancer, and is the first time breast cancer in younger women has been studied in New Zealand.
We are thrilled that the Christchurch House & Garden Tours are going ahead on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 March, and we need volunteers for both days of the tour! As a volunteer you’ll be stationed at one of the houses or the Tour Hub and to say thanks (heaps!) for volunteering, you’ll be given a free ticket to check out the houses on the other day of the tour. Sign up at the link below or email volunteer@bcf.org.nz for more info.
Donations are already coming in from the SBS Pink Ribbon Visa - more than $1000 since it launched in November last year! The SBS Pink Ribbon Visa is an easy way to support us. SBS Bank will donate $20 to Breast Cancer Foundation NZ for every account opened successfully, and every time you use your card SBS Bank will donate 5 cents to BCFNZ. To find out more about the SBS Pink Ribbon Visa go to pinkribbonvisa.co.nz.
Our specialist breast nurses are still here to support you, no matter the alert level. If you have questions about breast health, breast cancer treatment or need support, get in touch with our nurses for free on 0800 226 8773 or email breastnurse@bcf.org.nz. And, of course, our online community mybc is a wonderful place to find support and get advice from others going through breast cancer. Our nurses are still accepting funding applications for physiotherapy, lymphoedema therapy and counselling in Levels 2 and 3.
For some women, breast reconstruction can be a positive time where they feel like they’ve ‘closed the loop’ on breast cancer treatment. Others don’t feel the need to undergo reconstruction and are happy to ‘go flat’ - and a new survey found that 74% of women who choose to 'go flat' are satisfied with their choice. In our latest blog post, we take a look at what going flat means and why many women prefer it.
