‘Amazing generosity’ ensures continued growth of Cancer Care West

‘Amazing generosity’ ensures continued growth of Cancer Care West


34 percent of patients at Inish Aoibhinn facility from Co Mayo

The West of Ireland’s largest cancer support organisation, Cancer Care West, has said the ‘amazing generosity’ of people and volunteer groups from Clare to Donegal has made it possible for it to expand and develop the services it provides across the region, over the past twelve months.
Based in Galway, Cancer Care West provides supports ranging from residential accommodation, for patients receiving cancer treatments, to long term clinical, counselling and self-care services for both patients and their families. Last year more than 1,600 people throughout the west of Ireland used its services.
In its 2013 annual report, launched  recently by Irish Times Western Correspondent Lorna Siggins, Cancer Care West said the demand for its services continued to grow during the past year and many services, including its 33 bed residential centre, ‘Inis Aoibhinn’, on the grounds of University Hospital Galway, are now operating at ‘maximum capacity’.

Great pride
CEO Richard Flaherty says Cancer Care West takes great pride in the fact that all of its services are provided entirely free of charge to patients and their families but he adds that this has only been made possible because of the ‘amazing generosity’ of donors and its volunteer fundraisers.
It costs €1.5 million to fund the work of Cancer Care West each year. The organisation receives an annual grant of €500,000 from the HSE but the rest has to be raised through 400 separate fundraising events which are held right across the entire region by support groups and former patients.
According to Richard Flaherty the “continuing difficult economic conditions, coupled with recent controversies attached to certain organisations in the charitable sector” makes the task of raising €1 million a year very challenging but the response from people in the West of Ireland has been both “amazing remarkable and inspiring”.
He said the need for cancer care services continues to grow all the time as unfortunately more and more people are being diagnosed with cancer each year, but he insists that Cancer Care West is committed to supporting patients and their families in the West through all stages of their cancer treatment journey.
Cancer Care West chairman, John MacNamara, said in the report that it is also planned to extend a wide range of psycho-oncology services to regional centres in Donegal, Sligo, Mayo and Galway from early 2015. This will provide patients and their families with a level of professional services which are currently only available in Galway city.
 
Significant development
One of Cancer Care West’s most significant developments was the opening of its Inis Aoibhinn, residential centre on the grounds of UHG. Last year the 33 bed unit catered for 324 patients who stayed there for periods of 6 to 7 weeks while receiving radiotherapy treatment at the hospital.
According to Operations Manager Jill Taylor, it operated at maximum capacity during 2013 which was an exceptionally busy year for the professional staff and the many volunteers who work there. Each of the 33 ensuite rooms has twin beds which allow for a family member or a friend to stay with the patient receiving treatment.
Last year 34 percent of the patients came from Mayo; 18 per cent from Donegal; 15 per cent from Sligo; 11 percent from Roscommon; 8 per cent from Leitrim; 7 per cent from Galway and the remainder from Clare, Tipperary and Westmeath. The majority of patients were being treated for Prostate cancer (31 percent) and Breast cancer (27 percent)
The number of patients being accommodated at Inis Aoibhinn increased from 264 in 2008 to 324 in 2013.
 
Support Centre
One of Cancer Care West’s other major services is its Support Centre, opened at Westside in Galway in 2009. Last year over 1,300 people affected by cancer availed of the wide range of day support services it provides. These include psychological therapy and counselling, complementary therapies, oncology information, benefits advice  and emotional support.
Cancer Support Centre Director, Dr Helen Greally, said the work at the centre has gone from strength to strength during the past five years and is now filling a gap which had been identified – over many years - in the supports available to cancer patients and their families across the Western Region.
Dr Greally says the services at the centre are modelled on best international practice and are  provided by a team of psychologists, oncology nurses and health care professionals who are making an outstanding community based contribution to cancer care in the western region.
 Cancer Care West is also supporting new research into cancer and is jointly funding with Galway University Foundation a €1 million scholarship programme for ten PhD students at NUI Galway.
The post grad students are working in the field of cancer biology and therapeutics at NUIG and UHG and are hoping their work will support international research into improving rates of early cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment programmes.
As two thirds of the funds needed to support this work has to come from voluntary contributions and donations  Cancer Care West organises a phenomenal 400 fundraising events each year – ranging from mountain climbs, sponsored swims and cycles, marathons, walks, set dancing competitions and even card games. All taking place throughout the west from Donegal to Galway.
This week the organisation renewed its appeal to the public to be generous in supporting its fundraising campaigns in 2015, quoting in its annual report, what one former resident of Inis Aoibhinn, identified only as ‘Betty’ said of her battle with cancer.
“When I think back to Inis Aoibhinn, I remember it not as the place where I was when I was sick; but the place where I began to get well.”

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See www.cancercarewest.ie