Nurse encourages community to support Dry July
Meet Barwon Health nurse Katie. Katie is our 2018 Dry July Foundation staff ambassador and has been doing Dry July for seven years now.
"Hi my name is Katie and I am a nurse at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre in Geelong where our patient’s come in for their chemotherapy and radiotherapy. I am a small part of a fantastic team at the ALCC where I have worked for over the past 13 years. Prior to this I worked on our inpatient ward.
My role as an oncology nurse involves not only giving patients their chemotherapy but also providing support to patients & their families, education, encouragement, and helping them manage their symptoms. I didn’t expect to love the area of oncology but I do. You become part of a person’s life at probably their most difficult time and they become part of yours. I enjoy making a connection with people as you see them regularly and you really get to know them and they get to know you. In this job every day is different, and we do share lots of challenges but also share lots of laughs!
Its overwhelming and tough for patients and it’s our job to make it a bit easier. In ALCC you meet such a diverse range of people and share lots of stories. I’m amazed and inspired by people like Kylie our Dry July Ambassador, who is juggling her treatment while being mum to 3 children. She comes in every week so positive and just gets on with it! We all adore her baby Reed and it’s such a lovely part of our day. Along with so many of our patients they are juggling their lives with their cancer treatment but are always so grateful and appreciative and that makes our job so enjoyable.
I have been involved with Dry July for seven years. I am lucky I see first hand the real difference Dry July contributions make to our patients lives. Dry July has contributed to fantastic programs such as patients exercise therapy, art classes chemotherapy diaries and resources, nutrition and yoga classes. Every dollar I raise goes directly to the Andrew Love Cancer Centre and the patients I look after.
So I encourage everyone to jump on board and sign up for dry July or sponsor someone that is. Every donation big or small makes a difference! So to my friends and family I thankyou for all your support and generous donations because your donation is making it a little bit easier for someone affected by cancer."
Funds raised through Dry July go towards cancer support organisations across Australia, to help improve patient comfort, care and wellbeing. Sign up or donate here: www.dryjuly.com/donate
Pictured: Katie (right) with Dry July Patient Ambassador Kylie Blackney.
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