The Hamilton meeting in July was very well attended and everyone contributed towards making one another aware of the multitude of services available to Members. These ranged from exercise, retreats, WINZ funeral grants and funeral options, to wigs and prostheses and transport options to name a few. It was great to see Mew members come along and feel welcomed.
The Matamata, Thames and Tokoroa meetings have a small attendance but are always a pleasure, with plenty of time for Members to socialise with one another over coffee and cake.
It was fantastic to catch up with the team in Rotorua. I recently met with Tirita Olsen and the Oncology team to explain how the Sweet Louise service can be utilised in the Lakes region. This resulted in a lot of new referrals to Sweet Louise and subsequently we have new Members who are delighted to receive their vouchers and have added support from a Sweet Louise Support Coordinator.
I also met with the team from the Rotorua Breast Cancer Trust—what a fantastic and inspiring group who provide ongoing support to men and women in the Rotorua region. They are very excited to have Sweet Louise in the region now and wish to work side by side with Sweet Louise to ensure that support is available to their local community. I was personally very uplifted by the enthusiasm and commitment of the Rotorua community and look forward to working towards increasing services and support in the Lakes Region.
The Waikato Cancer Society is soon to launch the dates for a new group that is being set up to support women with lymphoedema. The meetings will initially be facilitated by Helena Stewart Liaison Nurse, Cancer Society.