Just over a year ago, Lisa Morrissey, a North Shore wife, mother and grandmother, went for a regular mammogram where she received the life-changing news that she had breast cancer.

“I went in for a routine check-up, not expecting anything to be wrong, but then three days later I got the call that said I had breast cancer and from there the last year has been a whirlwind of surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and finally now the Herceptin treatment,” she says.

The good news is that while 3000 New Zealand women just like Lisa, get diagnosed with breast cancer every year, 80% of these women recover.

For women living in the greater Auckland region, breast cancer treatment has been provided only at Auckland City Hospital in Grafton. This often involves travelling on a long and exhausting journey to the city where they are faced with gridlocked traffic and high parking costs as well as the added stress of trying to find a carpark at an over-stretched hospital. Many times this can end in tears – and missed appointments.

Over the last year, Lisa has been taking the bus from her Sunnynook home to Auckland City Hospital for her treatments.

“So I don’t have to drive in to town, I’ve been catching the bus to my treatments, spending 40 minutes getting to Auckland City Hospital and then back home. But because the treatment really takes it out of me, the journey back is pretty exhausting. I usually go straight home, collapse into bed and fall asleep.”

After noticing a need for local women in the North Shore community to have cancer treatment options closer to home, North Shore Hospital is opening a new Cancer Day Care Facility which provides Herceptin infusions to local women diagnosed with breast cancer. 

We are fundraising for two reclining medical chairs and a vital signs monitor to safely deliver Herceptin to women in this new local service.

Undergoing treatment after a cancer diagnosis is an overwhelming experience, but the ability to recline in a comfortable chair during the procedure will hopefully allow these women to feel much more relaxed during the 75-minute treatment which is required every three weeks over a 12-month period. 

If you can help, please donate now and spread the word to your friends and family to do the same. You can donate on our website www.wellfoundation.org.nz .

Your help will support local women in our community, just like Lisa, who are living with breast cancer. 

Until next time, go well.