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On the 11th of May we lost Kathleen Moriarty - An inspirational Leader, Founder, Team Captain, Sweep, fellow Dragon boater and Passionate Promoter of our Club and the sport of Dragon Boating to the very last.
That she was able to realize so many of her dreams this year is a huge consolation to us all.
Kathleen’s joy at attending Nationals 2023 and the International Breast Cancer Paddling Festival as part of the Taranaki Pinks at Lake Karapiro was evident to all who saw her.
Her legacy lives on with the very existence of our Club and her passion, generosity of spirit, attention to detail, knowledge and drive will be missed by us all.
Originally a Facebook group for people to find solidarity and share their experiences with a breast cancer diagnosis, the community has established a Registered Charitable Trust and a Board of Trustees. The newly formed organisation has a website where individuals can register for bi-monthly newsletters and donate to support the mahi of creating more opportunities for peer to peer connections and the sharing of lived experience to aid those navigating life with breast cancer. The organisation is powered by volunteers who have personally experienced breast cancer. If you are interested in volunteering your skills, get in touch.
The Suppression of Ovarian Function Trial (SOFT) randomly assigned premenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer to 5 years of adjuvant tamoxifen, tamoxifen plus ovarian function suppression (OFS), or exemestane plus OFS. After 8 years, SOFT reported a significant reduction in recurrence and improved overall survival for those who had received tamoxifen plus OFS, compared with those who had received tamoxifen alone.
The FINER clinical trial aims to find out if advanced ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer will remain under control for longer in patients who are given a new drug, ipatasertib, in addition to the standard treatment, fulvestrant. Ipatasertib works by blocking a cancer cell growth pathway (called PI3K-AKT-mTOR), which has been shown to be involved in some ER-positive breast cancers becoming resistant to treatment.
Who is the trial for? Those whose advanced ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer has progressed after ‘first line’ treatment with a CDK 4/6 inhibitor (such as palbociclib (Ibrance)) and an aromatase inhibitor (such as anastrozole, exemestane or letrozole).
BCAC has been honoured to record the stories of many New Zealanders with advanced breast cancer. We hope that their stories and photos will give you insight into their experiences and their thoughts, and will give you an idea of what life with advanced breast cancer is like.
To view our series Gifts to the Future, He Koha ā Mua Legacy Videos, click here.
To see videos made by members of Metavivors New Zealand, click here. To learn more about the Metavivors NZ peer support group for those with advanced breast cancer, click here.
The breast cancer experience presents some unique challenges for LGBTQI+ people. In addition to the usual stress of facing a cancer diagnosis and treatments, LGBTQI+ people often have to deal with the reactions of those around them. These may range from unfamiliarity with and incorrect assumptions about our relationships, our gender identity, our body image etc, right through to outright discrimination. Having to ‘educate’ even well-meaning clinicians and carers can be extra burden for LGBTQI+ people during a highly stressful time.
Below are some online resources which may help:
Liz Pennington was appointed to the Breast Cancer Support Chair position in early April and is looking forward to working as part of the organisation to enhance and strengthen the support of women with a lived experience of breast cancer.
April 2023 has been the culmination of a long-held dream by our Team Captain to have enough Paddlers to form a BC team. Thus, Taranaki Pinks came in to being.
We entered as a small boat at this year’s Nationals and as a standard boat at the recent IBCPC held at Lake Karapiro. The atmosphere was amazing and truly embodies the camaraderie and spirit of all BC survivors, from the young to the old brought together by a common bond.
Now that we are all hooked and can call ourselves international athletes, lol, here’s to the next one in 4 years’ time.
New paddlers keen to join us out at the Waitara River are always welcome. Check out our website or Facebook page for details.
Join Sweet Louise this May as we walk 50K to raise funds to support Kiwis diagnosed with incurable breast cancer. This 50K walking challenge is designed so you can walk when you want, where you want, and with whoever you want! Walk or run. Go solo or set up a team. Complete the 50K in one weekend or spread across the whole month – the choice is entirely up to you!
Broadcaster and Breast Cancer Foundation NZ (BCFNZ) Ambassador Lorna Riley is encouraging New Zealanders to host a Pink Ribbon Breakfast next month to support Kiwis affected by breast cancer.
Pink Ribbon Breakfast is BCFNZ’s biggest annual fundraising campaign and people can sign up at www.pinkribbonbreakfast.co.nz. Last year, 67,000 New Zealanders got together with their friends, whānau and workmates at events to raise vital funds for BCFNZ’s work in education, research and patient support.
