REBECCA Johnson and her team know more than most, the benefit that fundraising has on cancer treatment.
She is the acting Nurse Unit Manager of the Oncology Day Unit at Cairns Hospital and every day she uses equipment that members of the public have fundraised for.
It’s for this reason that she and some of her colleagues have signed up for Dry July 2017, raising funds for cancer equipment in the Far North.
“Our patients are the lucky recipients of the equipment that people fundraise for and we see firsthand the difference some of that equipment makes,” Ms Johnson said.
Not only that, all four who have signed up for Dry July – two nurses, a medical oncologist and a physiotherapist, have all been personally affected by cancer in some way.
“Everyone in the community is affected by cancer in some way. Yes, not having a drink for a month will be hard, but it’s a very small sacrifice for us to make, compared to what many people going through treatment endure,” Ms Johnson said.
This year, fundraising from Dry July will go towards a PhysioTouch device to help manage oncology patients with lymphoedema, post-surgical scars and post-radiation fibrosis and pain.
Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation fundraising and events co-ordinator Lindsay McDonnell said she was delighted that the Cairns Hospital staff had decided to participate in Dry July.
“They really are a pro-active and positive team here in Oncology. By giving up alcohol for a month, Rebecca and her team are really going to make a big difference to our local cancer patients,” Mrs McDonnell said.
Since 2013, Dry July has raised more than $105, 000 to help cancer patients at Cairns Hospital. This money has bought vital medical equipment such as chemotherapy pumps, which deliver medication while allowing a patient to be mobile, and other items that are essential to our patients’ comfort, like the chemotherapy chairs used for day oncology.
For further information, to donate or volunteer for the Foundation visit www.fnqhf.org.au and to sign up to Dry July click HERE.
Photo: Cairns Hospital oncology day unit staff Rebecca Johnson, Rikki Holzhauser, Harriet Fergusson and Megan Lyle surround cancer patient Tom Meharg.
