IT’S hard to believe, but the McGrath Foundation has only been in existence for 10 years.
In that time, they’ve become one of the most important and celebrated breast cancer foundations in the country. The McGrath Foundation’s last fundraiser, Pink Stumps day, raised over $1 million for breast cancer support.
To celebrate the 10-year milestone, the McGrath Foundation have released Take My Hand, a book portraying the stories of 14 McGrath Breast Care Nurses and just some of the many patients they have aided through a breast cancer experience.
Peel Health Campus’ Donna Cook (pictured) is one of those nurses. Her work has helped women and their families deal with the life-changing potential of breast cancer since 2008, and she shows no signs of slowing down.
Ms Cook started as a registered nurse in the south west before seeing a need for more breast cancer nurses in her area.
“I saw there was a gap in the region; women had to travel to Perth to have a lot of their breast cancer treatments and surgeries,” she said.
“They were having to travel and then come back into the community, and they were just not getting any support.
Ms Cook saw the need for more support in breast cancer treatment, and during her subsequent work with Breastscreen WA, she piqued the interest of the McGrath Foundation.
“They saw what I was trying to do; they saw the potential, and that I wanted to make a big difference in how women with breast cancer, and their families, deal with that struggle,” Ms Cook said.
Since then, Ms Cook has supported more than 1000 women and their families through breast cancer treatment. Her work is integral to the process, as it builds a much-needed bridge between doctors, surgeons and their patients.
“For a lot of women, a [breast cancer diagnosis] is a sudden thing, something that can put the brakes on their whole life,” Ms Cook said.
“And then they have to deal with the fact that they’re being given all this clinical information that they can hardly understand.
“Our role is to be there in the middle, in a way, and explain things to these women so they can understand what’s happening in their bodies and what can be done to treat it.” The McGrath Foundation is a national foundation and network of more than 100 nurses who work exclusively with breast cancer-affected women and their families, striving to ensure that they do not feel isolated by the illness.
“For a lot of women there are definitely issues of isolation, because the cancer can really affect your own identity, as well as your physical health,” Ms Cook said.
“A lot of our work is just listening; just being there, asking a few questions and then letting the women or their husbands express themselves.
Ms Cook said that, while the majority of women the McGrath Foundation works with are in the 50 to 75-year-old age bracket, it’s increasingly important for younger women to get regular check-ups.
Jane McGrath was only 31 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer so was always an advocate for young women being breast aware.
Take My Hand is out now through Penguin Random House publishers.