Sweet Louise member Jenny Short and her husband Rod are undertaking the trip of a lifetime - a cycle tour in Europe - and they're taking Sweet Louise along for the ride!
Jenny was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer five years ago and she made a decision to live life to the full and make her dreams reality. “Everyone needs to make the most of their time because you never know when it is going to be over.”
A new initiative is offering New Zealanders with uncommon forms of cancer the opportunity to link up with international cancer research. Breast cancer is a common disease but it has many different forms or sub-types that are not so common. A new rare tumour database will help ensure researchers have enough information about rarer tumours to facilitate research into understudied conditions.
September 2011
BCAC welcomes the Government’s response to the Health Select Committee's Inquiry into improving New Zealand’s environment to support innovation through clinical trials.
BCAC committee members Rowena Mortimer and Libby Burgess are involved in the Northern Cancer Network's newly formed Breast Cancer Steering Group. The group includes a wide range of cancer doctors, breast care nurses, consumers and Māori representatives. It aims to improve outcomes for breast cancer patients using an evidence-based model. Mr Garth Poole, breast and general surgeon at Counties Manukau DHB, will chair the group.
The Health Quality & Safety Commission will hold the first of its quality forums in Auckland and Christchurch in October.
The forums are open to people working in health, as well as health consumers and groups representing consumer interests.
Consumer engagement and participation in the health and disability sector is a priority for the Health Quality & Safety Commission, and is an important aspect of quality improvement.
The series of web videos, Kiwi Stories of Breast Cancer, recently produced by the Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) would not have been possible without the courage and generosity of those who agreed to appear on camera and share some of their personal stories with us.
BCAC members celebrated with former committee member Anne Hayden, when her PhD was conferred earlier this month. Anne’s thesis was entitled “Why rock the boat? Non-reporting of intimate partner violence”. Her work explored whether the use of restorative justice for such cases would increase reporting of intimate partner violence, and the results revealed that 79% of her sample of victims, perpetrators and key informants believed that it would increase reporting.
In July BCAC Chair, Libby Burgess, travelled to the Australian New Zealand Breast Cancer Trials Group (ANZBCTG) 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting, held in Queensland. The meeting attracted more than 200 researchers and international guest speakers to discuss the latest developments in breast cancer research, future directions for clinical trials and improving patient care.
Several current and former BCAC committee members were thrilled to attend the recent swearing-in ceremony for Claire Ryan, a founding member of BCAC, when she was appointed to the bench as a District Court Judge.
The ceremony which took place at the Auckland District Court was also attended by Dame Sian Elias, the Chief Justice, as well as many Court of Appeal, High Court and District Court Judges.
A team from BCAC met this week with the Minister of Health, the Hon. Tony Ryall, and highlighted the urgent need to address New Zealand’s desperate shortage of medical oncologists at three of the six cancer treatment centres around the country.
BCAC chair, Libby Burgess, says Mr Ryall was very receptive to the issues we raised. He is clearly committed to ensuring his policy of “better, sooner, more convenient” healthcare is extended to breast cancer patients.
