Cancer Society offers wide ranging support for patients, families

Paengaroa's Diane Keane has felt the benefit of many of the Cancer Society's support services since being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015.

Like many of us, come Daffodil Day, Paengaroa's Diane Keane would make her donation, wear her daffodil and have some vague idea that the money went towards research.

Now she knows different.

Having been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 she says she now can't speak highly enough of the society and the range of services it provides for cancer patients and their families.

''I had a full range of chemo which took several months and then I had radiation and while I was having radiation I started going to the coffee mornings here in Te Puke run by the cancer nurse,'' she says.

But even before that, the society had offered support.

''[Nurse] Tammy [Burgess] arrived before I had any treatment, just explaining what the processes were and if I found it too difficult and needed to be near the hospital, she could arrange accommodation and meals if my husband wasn't coping.''

Tammy also went with Diane to most of her medical appointments and went to the hospital on the day of her first operation ''to say good luck''.

At one of her first coffee mornings Diane learned about a Cancer Society-funded retreat for cancer patients in Raglan.

''You get fully looked after by volunteers - you rock up with your bedding and something for a shared dinner on Friday night, and then they look after you and everything is taken care of until 2pm on Sunday.''

She went to the retreat in February 2016 and finished treatment early in May 2016.

She still attends the coffee mornings and the weekly walking group that meets at the Pilot Bay toilets at Mount Maunganui.

''Volunteers turn up and you walk to your level - so if all you can do is walk from the toilets to the coffee bar then that's fine. The really fit ones go up the Mount and you all meet at the coffee bar at the end.

She says she knows people find the walking group beneficial - and not just for the exercise.

''The nurses are there, so you can have a chat without having to make a doctors appointment if you're just a little bit worried about something. Or someone will say something and other people have had it or experienced it.

''It's the same at the coffee mornings. And your supporters can come and if they are worried about something they can say - 'I'm just bit concerned about such and such.''

There is also a massage service that Diane made use of.

''If we had needed meals, they would have provided meals for me and my husband, Sid.''
Diane says she used most of the services offered and was surprised they were so
extensive.

''I really wasn't aware,'' she says. ''Like everyone, you put your money in and buy your daffodil and you think the money's going to research - but for the money they get, they do an awful lot with it.''

Cancer Society support in the Western Bay:
■ Two supportive care nurses based in the Tauranga office. They are available to provide free information and support for people affected by cancer and their families.
■ Monthly support group meetings in Tauranga and Te Puke, and a weekly walking group in Mount Maunganui.
■ Free transport for people with cancer so they can get to and from their medical appointments and treatment.
■ Free workshops designed to help people gain a better understanding of cancer and learn ways to cope – from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond.
■ SunSmart accreditation to schools to ensure young people are learning and playing in a safe environment and developing habits that will reduce their risk of cancer.
The Cancer Society is a community-funded charity. Its work is made possible because of the generosity of the community and the dedication of hundreds of volunteers.
The society does not receive any direct government funding, but is able to claim partial reimbursement from the National Travel Assistance scheme for eligible guests at the Cancer Society's Lions Lodge in Hamilton.
Cancer Society appeal collectors will be out and about in Te Puke outside New World, Countdown and the Post Shop.