Three Maori women have broken their silence and shared their personal stories of breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery in the hope that they can encourage more Maori women to go for breast screening which could save their lives.
The ‘Women to Women’ DVD was launched at Te Manukanuka o Hoturoa Marae (Auckland Airport Marae) in April.
“Welcome to my Blog. My name is Susan and I am going to write about my first chemotherapy experience with Taxol.”
When Sweet Louise Member ‘Susan’ approached Support Coordinator Sinda Hall to see if Sweet Louise would host her blog on the website, the answer was a resounding ‘Yes!’
The Boobop Dragon Boat Club was formed in 2003 and hit the water to compete as a mixed team in 2004. This is the first season the team has been 100% breast cancer survivors and they have had an amazing season. To win two titles at the Nationals was a fitting season ending for a very dedicated coach, manager and paddlers.
It seemed like it had only just begun, then before they knew it the Pink Dragons were collecting their medals at the Nationals in Rotorua! They have had a great year with many highs along the way but the season’s highlight was their overseas trip to Sydney and taking part in the Dragons Abreast Regatta in Darling Harbour.
A novel cancer drug designed by scientists from The University of Auckland and the Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to enter clinical trials.
Pathway Therapeutics Inc, a University of Auckland spin-out company, has also secured an additional US $7.5 million in investment to undertake the Phase I clinical trials.
BCAC applauds the recommendations of Parliament’s Health Select Committee to make it easier to conduct clinical trials in New Zealand.
The committee has been considering how New Zealand can improve innovation through clinical trials and released its report this week (08/06/11).
It made four key recommendations. These were to:
Millions of women facing an elevated risk for breast cancer could slash their chances of getting the widely feared malignancy by taking a hormone-blocking pill used to treat the disease or prevent a recurrence, researchers say.
BCAC is thrilled the government's drug buying agency, PHARMAC, is considering fully funding the chemotherapy medicine, docetaxel, for all types of breast cancer.
Currently, only some women with Her2-Positive breast cancer have access to funded docetaxel.
BCAC welcomes latest Government reports which show that 99 per cent of all cancer patients needing radiation therapy start treatment within four weeks.
Government figures for the third quarter of this year show that cancer patients in all DHBs received radiation treatment within six weeks and most received the treatment within four weeks.
Weird title to a Breast Cancer story - right?
Gertrude was the name we gave to my cancerous breast - I had to keep my breast through chemo and radiation due to the nature of Inflammatory Breast Cancer - once it 'blew up' it no longer looked like my breast and I couldn't wait to get rid of it. Calling it Gertrude was a way of separating it from myself.
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