No images? Click here Dear , Good news at last! With the announcement last week that Covid-19 restrictions are easing and, with the exception of Auckland, all of New Zealand is now at Level 1, we are thrilled to be able to resume member meetings and other face-to-face contact with you. For those of you in Auckland, we’re sorry we need to wait a bit longer. Hopefully the next update on alert levels on 5 October will see Auckland also move to level 1 and we will burst into action and schedule our member meetings! The best place to find information about member meetings - dates, venues etc, is on our Sweet Louise website. Go to Member Hub and then Member Meetings Calendar. To refine your search to a specific area of New Zealand, use the Categories drop-down button at the top left of the calendar. You can change the view to a weekly or monthly calendar using the Agenda button on the right. You can also change the date period you are searching for using the bar just below the Categories button. For details about a specific meeting, click on the meeting heading and the venue and time will show. We’ll also continue to post news of member meetings in our Facebook group as well. "Being creative is an important part of my life"Meet Annemarie Hope-Cross from Alexandra in Central Otago! "I’m 51, married with one fur baby, Sia the cocker spaniel. Eric and I got married 3 years ago, just two months before we discovered I had triple negative breast cancer, with axillary lymph node involvement. "Our world fell apart when we found out I had cancer. "I’d been sick for several months, struggling to do my (several) jobs and was desperate for a rest. Multiple trips to the doctor resulted in me feeling like a hypochondriac, and it was only a mammogram – which led to a pat down with the breast clinic - that resulted in my diagnosis. "We live in Alexandra in Central Otago, a small rural town at the bottom of the South Island. In this part of the country, treatment can often be delayed because the Southern DHB system is overloaded. "When I discovered there would be quite a wait for treatment in the public system, I was able to use my health insurance to fund the scans. It also funded three different lots of chemo, several surgeries and radiation which I am so grateful for. Even though there have been times I could hardly afford it, buying health insurance has quite possibly saved my life. "I found out about Sweet Louise in 2019 when I was re-diagnosed with cancer in my supraclavicular (neck) lymph nodes. This time, I chose to have treatment (yet more chemo and then surgery) in Auckland. "I haven’t been able to work since my diagnosis; it was really hard giving up my job at the Blind Foundation in particular, but also casual medic work and driving the local patient transfer ambulance had made me feel I contributed to society. It has been hard letting go of that. "Meeting Nadine from Sweet Louise in Auckland during my chemo was really humbling. Here was a group who were supportive and encouraging me to have fun. I loved that! "I have not been eligible for a sickness benefit, and I have had to fork out all travel costs for treatment (which is massive) let alone all the treatment – so when something nice happens, like Sweet Louise, it’s a bit overwhelming. "Back home in Alexandra, I have now met our Southern Support Co-ordinator, Lesley, and she’s doing a great job. Even recently with Zoom getting us southern folk together – bring it on I say! "This year, I was diagnosed with lymphoedema which I really can’t recommend. A local friend (met through Sweet Louise) put me on to the lymphoedema garments – looking like I’ve got a wild henna tattoo gives me some entertainment! I’m now having further treatment over in Queenstown – at my own cost once again. It’s so wrong that so much of our treatment isn’t adequately covered by our public health system. "When I’m well enough, I make photographs. I enjoy gardening, walking and, in the winter, a bit of cross country skiing. "Photography, and the opportunity to be creative is a really important part of my life. I make photos using old techniques, out in the garden, setting up images which I hope are beautiful, ethereal and peaceful. "Having cancer, there’s enough unpleasant stuff we have to cope with, so it’s important to me to have a balance to that. "One good thing about having this diagnosis is that I can lie on the bed recovering from treatment, thinking about images I want to make. I always wanted to be a full-time artist – so I’m grabbing the ‘opportunity’ this diagnosis provides! "My husband Eric and I produced our first photo book together last year, with images we’d both made during my treatment. It’s called Still Intrusion, and $5 from every sale goes towards Sweet Louise. "We’re working on a follow up book which will be published later this year, along with an exhibition of our images. "Thank you to everybody who is a part of Sweet Louise – I love being a member of this organisation, and I love what it stands for." Sweet October!October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and 13 October is Metastatic Breast Cancer Day. For Sweet Louise, October is about asking New Zealanders to help raise funds to support our work. As part of our Sweet October activities, we’re asking people to host a tea party with friends and family. Typically, we don’t ask you to help with fundraising. Our focus with you is all about you and helping you as best we can. However right now, we’d love your help to spread the word about Sweet October. Please share our posts on Facebook and Instagram and if you’re happy to talk to friends and family about them hosting a tea party that would be amazing. Any help you can give us to promote and make this Sweet October a sweet success would be fantastic! If you have any questions about your role in Sweet October, please contact your Support Coordinator or email us members@sweetlouise.co.nz or call us on 0800112277. Survey 2020 – thank you!Thank you to everyone who completed our member survey for 2020. We are now analysing results. As we’ve said before, these will be extremely helpful to us when applying for grants, sponsorships and other financial support. We've done a random draw for five prize winners who completed the survey. Congratulations to Brenda, Carolyn, Debbie, Lizzie & Rachel! Prizes of Sweet Louise jewellery, a quilt, or a Whitcoulls voucher are on the way! Cancer Society webinarsThe Cancer Society offer free webinars on a range of topics including: Finding a new normal, Coping with Emotions & Communication, Sleep Management & Sleeping Easy, Strategies for Supporters. Presented by a Clinical Psychologist via Zoom, the webinars are held fortnightly on Wednesdays from 10-11.30am. Limited spaces are available. To register email agriffiths@akcansoc.org.nz For more information, phone 0800 226 237. Rewardhub is an online shopping platform offering 100+ brands. Every time you shop via Rewardhub you get to support a charity of your choice - Sweet Louise is one of those charities! If you select Sweet Louise as your charity when you shop, then with every purchase, Sweet Louise gets a donation. It doesn’t cost you any extra! Visit Rewardhub and choose Sweet Louise as your cause. Happy shopping!! The Sweet Louise Support Coordinator Team: Angela, Kendra, Lesley, Nadine, Nicki, Tracy & Jenny |