Cancer patients on the Peninsula will benefit from enhanced support services at The Bays Hospital in Mornington, after breast cancer survivor Barbara Clough raised $7,500 through a fundraising event at Lifestyle Bittern retirement village.
Barbara chose to donate the funds to The Bays specialist breast care and prostate cancer nurses, to support local community members who are living with breast and prostate cancer or who may receive a cancer diagnosis in the future.
“I thought it would benefit our local area because we’re going to have a lot of people needing that service,” explained Barbara.
The generous donation has funded the purchase of equipment to support cancer patients undergoing treatment at The Bays, including:
- a scalp cooling cap, which reduces hair loss during chemotherapy, and
- devices that help with sexual dysfunction and incontinence, which are two of the main side effects for men who have prostate cancer.
Having survived breast cancer 36 years ago and sadly lost family members to it, Barbara has spent many years fundraising to support breast cancer patients. She estimates that she’s raised more than $100,000 in total.
Barbara was inspired to give back to The Bays after being treated for bowel cancer during COVID-19 lockdowns. Barbara said she was “looked after beautifully” at The Bays, and had a very good experience despite not being able to have visitors at the hospital.
Barbara decided to organise an afternoon tea to raise funds for The Bays cancer support services, and received overwhelming support from local businesses in Hastings and Bittern, who donated goods and vouchers to be auctioned off.
Barbara’s afternoon tea was a huge success, with 129 attendees raising $3747. Lifestyle Bittern, where Barbara lives, then matched the donation, bringing it to a total of $7494.
The Bays is currently building a comprehensive Cancer Care Centre to expand their current cancer services and enable local residents to undergo radiation therapy on the Mornington Peninsula.
“The new Cancer Care Centre will include radiation therapy, research facilities for clinical trials, procedure rooms, consulting suites, a wellness and education centre and a tranquil garden,” said The Bays CEO, Jade Phelan.
“From a patient’s initial diagnosis, they will be able to take advantage of The Bays Hospital for all of their treatment and care, including important support services and wellness programs. Having treatment locally available will mean family and friends will not need to travel significant distances to support patients during their treatment,” said Ms Phelan.
Community help is still required to complete this important project. As an independent, not-for-profit charity, The Bays Hospital welcomes all donations.
If you’d like to donate to or fundraise for The Bays, visit www.thebays.com.au/donate or email fundraising@thebays.com.au.