Autumn 2023 Newsletter5 Apr 2023

Dear All

The first few months of 2023 have been very busy and productive, setting up what will be a great year of events and initiatives.

Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation Limited is now an independent charity. Through 2023 we will continue to support the Breast Unit and other programmes at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, and we will also be able to reach out further into the community than in the past.

The team has been Talking Pink through our growing social media channels, reaching out to many schools to begin a Breast Cancer Awareness schools' campaign. Our partners at the Women’s Waratahs began their season with amazing results and the Rugby Long Lunch preparation is well underway with only a few tables remaining to be sold. The prizes this year are amazing!

We welcomed FS8 Pilates Crow’s Nest as a community partner. FS8 have joined with us to support breast cancer patients and survivors by giving them a free tailored Pilates class per week. Very generous and means a lot to so many people having a tough time.

Our wonderful friends at Mosman Rugby Club are again holding their Ladies’ Day on May 6th with proceeds coming to the Foundation. This is one of the North Shore’s leading social events of the year. Not to be missed and lots of fun.

We are very excited to share with you Associate Professor Sanjay Warrior’s update on the SBCF Fellowship that we fund at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. It is always amazing to read about the wonders of modern medicine and the changes in the way breast cancer is treated.

Enjoy the cooler weather and hope to see you at one of our events in 2023.

Lynne Crookes OAM

Chair

Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation Limited

FUNDING UPDATE

Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation Fellowship Program

Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation funds a fellowship program through the Chris O'Brien LifeHouse.

The SBCF fellows have been progressing well through the start of their year. Dr Susan Hawes has arrived from the Gold Coast and Dr Maree Kekeff has arrived from her first year of training at Taurunga in New Zealand.

Both fellows have settled into Chris Obrien Lifehouse very well and have been an asset to the running of the unit. Both are very conscientious and have a very professional approach with patients. They are both very particular and detailed.

From a professional perspective both fellows have really learnt a lot even in this early period relating to both rotational flaps for breast conserving surgery, non wired based localization of breast lesions and importantly different techniques for implant based reconstruction. They are very grateful to be associated with a great teaching unit and have found everybody on the unit to be supportive.

Kind regards

Assoicate Professor Sanjay Warrior

Waratahs Women - What a start to the season!

Waratahs W, what stars they are. We are so proud to be sponsoring this amazing team but also so excited to be supporting the Sydney 10’s and 7’s teams as well.

Our aim with this partnership is to build on our awareness campaigns and educate a whole new audience of women and men about the importance of early detection in Breast Cancer.

Many women and men out there don't think that Breast Cancer can affect them (they might be too young, no family history, don't know much about it) but we know this is not the case and even if just a few become breast aware, know to look for changes and speak to family, friends or doctors if they see changes then we have made a difference.

AND the most exciting thing of all, we got to meet TAH WOMAN!

18th RUGBY LONG LUNCH

2nd JUNE, HILTON HOTEL

Organisation for the 18^th Rugby Long Lunch is well and truly underway. Nearly all the tables are sold, the prizes are amazing, the champagne is ordered, the beer is being chilled and in keeping with our French theme our speakers are from the Wallabies squad who beat France in the 1999 World Cup Grand Final. So exciting and it will be an amazing trip down memory lane to launch our current Wallabies bid to win in France in 2023.

Breast Cancer Awareness

SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN

One of our exciting initiatives in 2023 is our School Awareness Program we are launching into high schools across Sydney. The aim of the school program is to begin educating girls and boys in their teenage years to be breast aware, know their bodies, be conscious of changes that may occur and talk to their parents, friends, teachers or doctors if they have any concerns. The more in tune they are with their own bodies the better. If anyone would be interested in finding out more about this campaign for their school, please email us at hello@sbcf.org.au.

Remember to keep sharing our THINK PINK socials and make sure your family, friends and colleagues are Breast Cancer Aware. Early detection is so important and the more you talk about Breast Cancer the more they will feel confident and confide in a healthcare professional if they have concerns.

#BEATING BREAST CANCER TOGETHER