Latest News
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BCAC media release, 5 December 2019
Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) is delighted to learn that fulvestrant (Faslodex) will be funded by PHARMAC in the New Year, BCAC Chair Libby Burgess says.
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We are very grateful to LeRêve (NZ), a direct selling company, for taking part in an Australasian fun run to raise money for BCAC. Forty-five LeRêve (NZ) consultants, staff, friends and family travelled to the Gold Coast to run or walk 5km in the event with their Australian counterparts. The NZ contingent raised more than $8,000 for BCAC which is an awesome result.
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Check out all the latest news from the Northland arm of Breast Cancer Support in their latest newsletter.
25 Nov 2019
When Ethna Renner was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, it was the most daunting news she had ever received. Suddenly she was faced with something she had no control over.
Her family have been amazing and work has been really supportive, she says. She is also full of praise for the hospital staff and the medical team who looks after her. “You feel like you’re special rather than just a number.”
![Julie Bunnell and son Lachlan McKenzie.](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/Julie%20Bunnell%20and%20son%20Lachlan%20McKenzie.jpg?itok=u1gqHpeK)
Wellingtonian Lachlan McKenzie is excited he completed his first ever marathon in good time on Saturday 16 November in Queenstown, raising money for BCAC.
He has been training for many months – since Easter and has run almost 1,000 kilometres over that time. “I’ve spent so much time on my feet and got so fit!”
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Media release, 1 October 2019
BCAC is extremely disappointed to read that access to cancer medicines does not appear to be a priority for New Zealand’s new cancer control agency according to its national director, Diana Sarfati, in a recent interview.
![Lachlan running in the Taupo Marathon.](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/TAUPO_MARATHON_2018_012953.jpg?itok=Rg3oRBzU)
Lachlan McKenzie is running the Queenstown Marathon in November to raise money for BCAC and says he is loving the training.
“I didn’t necessarily expect it to be so enjoyable but it’s been awesome, I’m getting great support and feel really happy raising money for BCAC and the work they do for women with breast cancer,” Lachlan says.
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This article was written by Emily Searle at PINC&STEEL.
It isn’t breaking news that exercise is beneficial for everyone.
It isn’t even news that exercise is beneficial for those with a cancer diagnosis. This area of research, and the evidence that exercising has positive outcomes for patients both during cancer treatment and in survivorship has been growing for over 10 years.
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The last few seasons have been challenging for the Pink Dragons breast cancer survivors’ dragon boat team as their crew numbers have decreased quite dramatically. Despite their best attempts to recruit it came to a head last year when, after starting the season as Pink Dragons, they had to amalgamate with a newly formed mixed team just to continue paddling. They became Brave Dragons for the rest of the season. They have never lost sight of recruiting breast cancer survivors, with a view to eventually getting a full team of 20+ paddlers back up and running once again as the Pink Dragons.
![Ethna Renner](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/Shaved%20hair%20before%20chemo%2050%25.jpg?itok=kATdaVkp)
When Ethna Renner was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, it was the most daunting news she had ever received. Suddenly she was faced with something she had no control over.
Her family have been amazing and work has been really supportive, she says. She is also full of praise for the hospital staff and the medical team who looks after her. “You feel like you’re special rather than just a number.”