Care, Support and Counselling – This Is What You’re Running For When You Join The Pink Brigade

Have you joined The Pink Brigade yet?

Her.ie will be taking part in this year’s Flora Women’s Mini Marathon and fundraising on behalf of the Irish Cancer Society. We’d love for you to join us, and if you want to know a little more about where the money goes… here it is!

• Nursing Services: Night nurses care for cancer patients across the country in their own home during the last days of their life. During 2012 the Society’s night nurses cared for 1,818 patients, providing 7,350 nights of care.

• Financial Aid: The Irish Cancer Society’s financial aid programme provides a grant to support cancer patients who are experiencing financial hardship due to their cancer diagnosis. During 2012 financial aid to the value of €1,047,461 was provided to 1,753 cancer patients across the country.

• Care to Drive: Care to Drive is a free transport service, whereby trained volunteer drivers bring cancer patients to and from their hospital treatment so that travelling to and from the hospital is one less thing the patient needs to think about. Care to Drive operates from ten hospitals across the country (St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Sligo General Hospital, St. James’s Hospital, Letterkenny General Hospital, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Mid-Western Regional Hospital Limerick, Portiuncula Hospital Ballinasloe, Tallaght Hospital, Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, Midlands Regional Hospital Tullamore) with plans to expand the service to more hospitals during 2013 (Waterford Regional Hospital, Cork University Hospital, Mercy University Hospital Cork, Kerry General Hospital and Galway University Hospital). In 2012 Care to Drive brought 398 patients on 6,392 journeys.

• Counselling: During a cancer diagnosis a patient or someone close to them may want to speak to someone to help them deal with their emotions during this difficult time. The Irish Cancer Society provides counselling through cancer support centres around the country – so people can access counselling, if they need it, in their own local centre.  €219,840 was granted to support centres across the country in 2012.

• Survivors Supporting Survivors: The Survivors Supporting Survivors programme connects someone going through a cancer diagnosis with someone who has been through a similar diagnosis and is several years post treatment. This means a cancer patient can speak to someone who really knows what they are going through. All survivors are carefully selected and trained to give support, practical information and reassurance. The Survivors Supporting Survivors programme has trained volunteers available across the country.

• Cancer Support Centres: The Irish Cancer Society support local cancer support centres, offering training, grants, information and support to centres that choose to become affiliated to the Society. There are 48 centres around the country affiliated to the Society and receiving support.