NOW in it's 10th year, the McGrath Foundation is celebrating placing its 102nd breast care nurse in the community.
Breast Care Nurses help families in Australia through breast cancer by providing free advice, support and care when it's needed most, and to date, the foundation has touched more than 33,000 families.
Each nurse costs $380,000 for a three-year placement, and by the end of the year, the foundation hopes to have raised enough money to place their 110th nurse.
The foundation's chief executive Petra Buchanan said the foundation's work was particularly important for people in regional Australia as they often needed to travel great distances to access treatment.
Jill Crozier, Ivanhoe, knows only too well the benefits of having a breast care nurse to help her navigate her treatment.
Jill received visits every three weeks from Broken Hill McGrath Breast Care Nurse, Jo Beven, which saved her having to drive 800 kilometres to Adelaide to receive advice and support.
Petra said Jo was just one of the foundation's nurses who cared for women across regional Australia.
"Jo supports patients across a wide area in South Australia, Queensland and NSW via the Royal Flying Doctor Service," Petra said.
Donna Falconer, Dubbo, said she owed her life to her McGrath Foundation breast care nurse.
"It meant everything to me to have her there during my treatment," said Donna, who underwent surgery and months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy for breast cancer in 2009.
"As humans, its hard to show your vulnerability when you're trying to be strong in front of everybody else, but she was the one person I could let my guard down in front of."
Donna, like many other women, formed a close bond with her nurse.
"Because she understood what was going on in medical terms, and because she was my emotional sounding board, I trusted her a lot and was thankful to have her there," she said.
Donna now works very closely with her Dubbo-based McGrath breast care nurses.
Following her treatment she founded the group Pink Angels, a not-for-profit group that helps co-ordinate hands-on help for women in her community affected by breast cancer.
"So many friends and family offer help when you're sick, but I found at times it was hard to ask for help," she said.
"That's why we fund raise and pay service providers to go in and help ladies who need it."
The Pink Angels can organise a cleaner, somebody to mow lawns, mind the pets, do the groceries and much more.
The local McGrath breast care nurses refer their patients to Pink Angels and when they do, they receive a care pack containing a candle, soap, sun catcher and bracelet, and importantly, a cashmere beanie.
"It shows them the community cares about them," Donna said.
The McGrath Foundation is asking regional Australians to dig deep to help reach the goal of increasing the number of McGrath Breast Care Nurses to 110.
All donations will help realise the late Jane McGrath's vision of ensuring every person in Australia experiencing breast cancer has access to a dedicated breast care nurse.
To find out more about the Pink Angels, visit Pink Angels
To donate to the McGrath Foundation visit the McGrath Foundation
Pink Angels deliver kindness
THE BEST ideas are stormed around a coffee table, and that was certainly the case for Dubbo's Pink Angels.
In 2009, breast cancer survivor Donna Falconer, along with some close friends, decided to form a group to arrange household help for women suffering from breast cancer.
The group has gone from strength the strength, and archangel Donna now has a chorus of volunteers that help her fund raise and co-ordinate professional service providers - including cleaners, gardeners and pet-minders - for women who need it.
"When you're undergoing treatment you often feel helpless, and even though you've had countless offers from friends and family, the reality is they are time poor, and it can be difficult to tell them you need them," said Donna (pictured foreground with some of her volunteers, Chris Robinson, Vicki Crooks, Jo Crowley, Pam Urquhart, Anne Gemmel, Margo Green, Lesley Hargreaves, and Sue Gavenlock).
For the Pink Angels, the little things count.
For each new referral, they deliver a care-package, and last year they delivered more than 50 Christmas hampers to ladies who needed a little pick-me-up.
"We've recently introduced cashmere beanies in our care packs," she said.
"They are very comforting when you're not feeling the best and you've lost your hair."
