More than 30 breast cancer-related groups belong to the Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition. Find out more about what our member groups are up to on this page. If you want to know more about BCAC and our member groups, click here and subscribe to our e-newsletter.
With 7 weeks training under our belts, Auckland’s Busting With Life headed to Lake Rotoroa, Hamilton to participate in the Waikato Dragon Boating and Waka Ama Association Super 12 regatta. This annual, out-of-region event is the first in the regatta calendar for the team. The regatta is always a fun day (in spite of the early start) and this year did not disappoint.
The Taranaki Dragons have been busy! Valda McBeth has posted this update:
Carol Coad was awarded Life Membership of Taranaki Dragons at our recent AGM. Carol has been an active, reliable and committed member since our Club was founded in 2008. Carol was our treasurer for 14 years.
Clinical trials are an essential part of our health system and are necessary to find out if new treatments are more effective than those currently accepted as standard of care. New breast cancer treatments (e.g. surgery, radiotherapy and drug therapies) and care must be thoroughly tested through the clinical trials or research process before they are made widely available to breast cancer patients.
National cancer support service Look Good Feel Better continues to evolve its free programme to offer a diverse range of wellbeing sessions including both in-community and online classes, expert Q&As and podcasts. Navigating cancer can be as daunting emotionally and mentally as it is to physically deal with prognosis and treatment, so the programme is aimed at boosting confidence and provides an opportunity to connect with others who truly understand what you are going through.
We asked Metavivor Tania Honey to describe this online peer support group for people with advanced breast cancer. Here’s her take:
1. We all have a Stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis and I believe live or have lived in NZ at some point
2. It's a private page. Not any Tom, Dick or Mary can join. It gives you an extra feeling of safety that only other Metavivors are on this site.
Breast Cancer Support Aotearoa (BCSA) begins the year with the continuation of its ‘Cuppa and a Chat’ online support groups. Held on Zoom, the inaugural groups were so successful last year that Chair Liz Pennington is keen to continue and encourages women to join these informal sessions.
Setting New Year’s resolutions for: growing your fitness?, making new friends?, doing something new, different and FUN?
Come along to one of our trainings and see if dragon boating is for you! We will supply you with a life-jacket and paddle, all you need is clothing suitable to exercise in on the water and footwear you don’t mind getting wet.
What you get out of joining the team:
The Pinkies Are Back depicts a group of extraordinary women conquering and surviving breast cancer, setting up a dragon boat team, and working together to win a gold medal in a competition held in Auckland. It’s an ode to women on the water. There are breast cancer survivor dragon boat teams around the world, as it has become an established popular rehabilitation system - "Exercise is Medicine". They put all efforts into paddling, just as they fight for the silver lining of their life.…
The Breast Cancer Research Trust’s popular Pink Walk and Run fundraiser is back again this October, along with two other local community-organised events in Huntly and Putaruru.
Cindy Jacobs, spokeswoman for the Breast Cancer Research Trust and organiser of the Hamilton event, says that having three events throughout the Waikato makes it easier for more people to get involved:
A new dragon boat season is upon us, and this is a great sport for those recovering from Breast Cancer treatment. With the borders opening up worldwide, the opportunity to go global again is super exciting as well as lots of great regattas here in Aotearoa.
