Survivorship, Recovery and Best Quality of Life for as long as possible
‘Finding joy in the midst of adversity.’
Our survivorship programs help cancer survivors adjust to life after cancer, to pick up the pieces and re-engage with life. Many say they find the programs life-changing as they seem to get a new lease of life and begin to take up various activities, some for the first time, others resuming activities that they had let slide as they had felt so flattened by their cancer experience.
Life Force is a beacon of hope helping them process the feelings of grief and loss and get in touch with their unique strengths so as to resume a meaningful life once more.
Life Force offers a holistic recovery model, employing various modalities such as meditation, yoga, massage therapy, art therapy, movement, for optimal health and wellness.
A major feature of all our programs is meditation to soothe the body and calm the mind.
Participants in our supportive care programs develop skills that they can take away and use whenever they feel anxious or stressed, while experiencing the wonderful connectedness and healing energy of the group experience. At every one of our weekly online cancer circles meetings, there is a meditation session. One of our members called it “the healing balm to end each meeting”.
You can find our online supportive care group session times and dates by clicking here.
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Kristy’s Story
Oh my goodness-what a journey! Being told the news that I had cancer knocked the wind clean out of me! My family had already endured a massive trauma in the 5 years prior, when my husband had a near fatal bike accident, which saw me caring for him intensively for the first few years, and a little bit less as time went on.
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Then, in October 2017, I woke up with a pain in my left breast. On feeling it, I discovered a lump.
On the 1st December 2017 at the age of 37, I was told I had breast cancer.
All I could think about was my two daughters aged 13 and 11, and my husband - How will they cope!
Everything happened relatively quickly, I had a lumpectomy a few days before Christmas and found out shortly after that I was a carrier of the BRCA 2 gene. I made my decision very quickly that I would have a double mastectomy with implants, and a total hysterectomy after chemo treatment.
Chemo was tough, but I had great support from my colleagues at Dubbo Community Health, my breast care nurses, Margie and Vanessa, and the doctors and nurses, and most of all, my family.
A place of reflection & renewal
Many years later, I was sent a flyer about Life Force Cancer Foundation who were coming to Dubbo to do a day workshop for cancer survivors. I attended the day retreat and not only were Jilly and her team the most insightful, compassionate and truly passionate ladies, the group of women with whom I was able to share the experience were the even bigger heroes. As women, we have taken on periods, pregnancy and childbirth, watched our bodies change drastically, and now, here we were, either having taken on the big C or currently battling it. Life Force gave us a safe place in a journey that only those within the room knew and understood.
Life after cancer is not often an enjoyable experience for most. It is hard work and the focus has been on getting rid of the cancer - not helping us in the aftermath when we can feel so lost and unsupported. I realised I still needed help on this hard and emotionally painful journey. What Life Force gave us was exactly what we needed. There is nothing like this out there in country areas to help people face it all.
Life Force is there during and after to offer a helping hand, and on behalf of all those who have experienced Life Force’s amazing support, I want to say thank you to Jilly and all the Life Force team for being there for us!
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EOFY APPEAL
To bring hope and love to more people like Kristy, living with cancer, and to help them recover their sense of self and move forward, please dig deep and donate to Life Force before the end of the financial year.
Your tax-deductible gift will be so very much appreciated by all our members facing the many challenges of cancer - physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual.
You might consider becoming a regular monthly donor. That’s a great way to show your support.
By donating to Life Force, you are supporting programs that bring enrichment to the lives of all people affected by cancer.
By donating you are sending a beautiful message to people affected by cancer that you care, and that means so much to people facing adversity.
Whatever you can spare, large or small, will make a difference to their lives.
Thank you for caring!
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NSW Cancer Plan
In April this year The Cancer Institute NSW launched its Cancer Plan 2022 to 2027.
A major part of the plan is to collaborate with other existing stakeholders in cancer care such as not-for-profits, community organisations etc. to broaden the range of services that can be offered and improve outcomes for more and more people living with cancer across NSW.
The NSW Cancer Plan. This 2022– 2027 plan provides a whole-of-sector perspective on cancer control and describes how our key stakeholders across the state, including NSW Health, will work together to deliver better outcomes.
Cancer Council NSW welcomes the launch of the 2022-2027 NSW Cancer Plan today and applauds the NSW Government’s commitment to improving cancer outcomes. Affecting one in every two people in NSW, cancer is the community’s most important health priority, and the NSW Cancer Plan will provide a solid foundation to reduce the enormous impact of cancer across the state.
Cancer Council NSW’s CEO, Professor Sarah Hosking says, “This year, more than 51,000 people in NSW will be diagnosed with cancer and 16,000 will die from it. We applaud the commitment of the NSW Government under this plan to address prevention, screening and early diagnosis, access to optimal cancer treatment and care, and cancer research.
“Over the past thirty years, we’ve seen real significant improvements in cancer outcomes in NSW including under previous plans – with survival rates improving for most cancers.”
However, Cancer Council NSW acknowledges that not everyone has benefited from improved cancer outcomes with people in multicultural, regional and rural, Aboriginal and socially disadvantaged communities being left behind.
For people living with cancer, we know that the pandemic is causing unprecedented demand for emotional and financial support.
“Real commitment and funding from the NSW Government is needed to deliver against the goals and actions within this plan and address the gaps exposed by COVID-19, as well as to improve cancer outcomes for everyone in NSW.” Professor Hosking concludes.
Life Force will be partnering with cancer co-ordinators at major hospitals in regional areas to enhance psychosocial provision in areas where there are still unmet needs and little access to supportive care options particularly after the active treatment stage is completed.
Our regional programs are a unique way of enhancing what other health services can offer.
We are committed to closing the gap in areas of greatest need.
In line with the recommendations of the Cancer Plan we are in the process of liaising with various regional hospital teams and NSW Cancer Council teams to help plan and deliver our services where they will be of most benefit. Our regional programs are offered free of charge.
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Just a word of thanks to all our wonderful volunteers who keep the wheels turning. Our thanks also to Lucy Carroll for newsletter layout and publication each quarter.
Warmest wishes to all our friends and supporters and loving wishes to all those dealing with the experience of cancer.
Love and blessings to you all from the Life Force Team.
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