Breast Support Group Donates $3,000 for Oncology

The Ararat Breast Cancer Support Group has donated $3,000 dollars for a new emergency trolley that will be used in the Oncology unit at East Grampians Health Service.

Mrs Bev Walker, one of the facilitators of the Ararat Breast Support Group said “We are absolutely delighted to be able to help the Oncology unit out from the proceeds of last year’s Pink Ribbon Day in October, in which the community was so generous towards our cause. Our group also offer’s support to women with Breast Cancer and their families by providing regular meetings, telephone support, social occasions and practical assistance.”

East Grampians Health Service Breast Care Nurse , Sarah Carter works closely with the Ararat Breast Cancer Support Group would like to highlight that “the next free Breast Screen bus to Ballarat is on Thursday 22nd March 2012, departing from Willaura and Ararat. To place your name on the list please contact East Grampians Community Centre on 5352 9327 or for further enquiries please contact Sarah Carter on 53 529 343”

Mrs Carter Highlighted that “In 2011 it is estimated that 14,300 women and men in Australia will be diagnosed with breast cancer, making it the most common cancer for women.”

 

It is important to remember that most women survive breast cancer – latest statistics (2006) show that the 5-year survival rate for women diagnosed with breast cancer is more than 88%:

• Australian women have a 1 in 9 lifetime risk of developing breast cancer
• The risk of developing breast cancer increases with age
• The average age of first diagnosis of breast cancer in women is 60 years
• 75 per cent of new cases of breast cancer develop in women over the age of 50
• Women in the highest income quintile have an incidence rate of breast cancer of 134 women per 100,000 population, compared with 110 women per 100,000 population in the lowest income quintile  (Source: Breast Cancer Network Australia)

Mrs Carter also Explained that “BreastScreen is targeted for women aged between 50 and 69 years old (as 50% of women diagnosed with breast cancer are aged 50 -69yrs) although women over 40 and 70 years are also eligible to attend for free.”

Regular screening mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early, often before any symptoms are noticed and when treatment is likely to be most successful. It must be at least two years since your last BreastScreen mammogram, and at least twelve months if you have had a diagnostic mammogram (from G.P. referral).

If you have a breast symptom or any breast changes please consult with your local doctor.

A doctor’s referral is not required for the bus trip and both the bus trip and mammogram are free.