As I was preparing this appeal for support, I was reminded of all the wonderful people the team at HANCA have been privileged to meet and talk with. It’s the stories of people with a lived experience of Head and Neck Cancer that have driven our advocacy efforts to Federal levels and our commitment to raise awareness and be here to provide vital support.
Without a doubt, everyone is exceptionally grateful to the cancer teams who treat their Head and Neck Cancer. But the personal toll of life after treatment can be massive.
The impact on a person’s identity, their way of life and mental health can be immense. And it can also impact their loved ones and friendships too. Unable to return to work, withdrawing from social events or not wishing to appear in public because they do not want to be seen, photographed or judged, leads to isolation and poorer health outcomes. The journey to a new normal can be tough, complex and lonely.
This is why I am appealing for your support. No one should face Head and Neck Cancer alone.
Your donation today will help HANCA remain a place of support and community connection. A place of information, education and personal stories. A place that helps to raise the voices of people affected by Head and Neck Cancer. And a place that promotes public awareness and early detection.
HANCA’s vision is to save lives and ensure no one faces Head and Neck Cancer alone. Our purpose is to support people who are newly diagnosed or adjusting to their new normal after treatment.
HANCA needs your support to help us grow national public awareness, to fund evidence based information and education, and continue our advocacy work to improve patient outcomes.
We have listened and successfully advocated for funding to develop:
- an education module for GPs and Dentists, after many people reported a delayed or misdiagnosis
- an animation about what to expect next for people newly diagnosed, after hearing more accessible information is needed, and
- a new website referral feature, after listening to patients and healthcare professionals wanting more timely and accurate information.
But it doesn’t stop here. Your tax-deductible donation by 30 June will help us continue to support and advocate for people affected by Head and Neck Cancer.
And at our first Parliamentary Breakfast in Canberra in March, the first time the voices of people with Head and Neck Cancer had been heard, HANCA called for national funding for:
- a Head and Neck Cancer Helpline to offer information and support,
- an Outreach Program to educate and empower healthcare professionals, particularly in rural, regional and remote locations to support their patients, and
- Australia’s first HNC dental guidelines for optimal pre-treatment care and oral rehabilitation so that all people living with HNC have access to 'gold standard' dental care before and after treatment.
We are not asking for funds to do anything that isn’t already being done for many other more common types of cancer and we have not asked for funds to do anything that hasn’t been tried, tested and proven cost effective by more common cancers. All cancers are awful and that is why all cancer survivors deserve support.
Please donate today to help us continue to support the Head and Neck Cancer community.
Thank you. On behalf of the team at Head and Neck Cancer Australia we greatly appreciate your support.
Kind regards,
Nadia Rosin
Chief Executive Officer
Head and Neck Cancer Australia