The Auckland Central Breast Friends meet at the Auckland Cancer Society (Domain Lodge, Boyle Crescent, Grafton - across from Auckland Hospital) on the second Monday of the month, at 1pm. Please call us on 0800 273 222 or email us for more information.

Latest news: Some of the most beautiful flowers ... are made of tissue!

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Some of the most beautiful flowers ... are made of tissue!
This report from Group Coordinator Christine Rule

At the May meeting we were delighted to welcome Annette Coutts and Jill Mellow (pictured, L to R), Coordinators for Auckland South Breast Friends group.

Some of our ladies attended the Mad Hatters’ Tea Party held earlier in the year and were so impressed with the hats these ladies had made and decorated with tissue paper flowers, they asked if we could invite them to our group to demonstrate the technique.
 
With photocopied directions, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, pieces of stick, scissors and a ruler and some helping hands from our guest speakers, I think we surprised ourselves. The results were quite striking, with some flowers made from single colours and others using several different coloured tissue paper sheets. A small token of appreciation was given to Jill and Annette.
 
Following a delectable afternoon tea, we still had time for ladies to share any problems, tell of good news or ask questions.
 
Sincere thanks to Cindy for her photographic expertise. Also Irene, Helen, Judy, Cindy who assisted Christine by adding their goodies for afternoon tea. 
 

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Easter treats in April
This report from Group Coordinator Christine Rule

Easter weekend was not only great weather in Auckland but we had a great meeting with 9 women attending on Easter Monday. Although small in numbers this time we were pleased to welcome two new ladies to the group.
 
There was no guest speaker for this meeting but when a group of ladies are together, there is always plenty to talk about and we certainly covered a wide range of topics including some memories of
pre- teen years.

Easter bunny left some small eggs for us and Judy kindly made her beautiful date scones for afternoon tea.
 
Two queries that others may be able to help with : 

1. Has anyone any suggestions re coping with hot flushes? The medication given  to one lady is causing terrible side effects and she has had to stop taking it. It was suggested that she consult her doctor again to see whether there is something else more suitable to help her with this problem. Perhaps readers have some suggestions.
2. Does anyone have neck problems and pain caused by wearing prostheses after having a double  mastectomy?  This is causing the lady a great deal of pain and is restricting her social life. 

Any suggestions gratefully received - please email us!

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"Oh for a life at sea!"
This report from Central Coordinator Christine Rule.

The women attending the Breast Friends March meeting were delighted to welcome three new ladies to the group and all enjoyed a presentation from guest speaker Heather Scott-Worsley. 
 
After Heather finished her breast cancer surgery and treatment she and her husband decided to live aboard a yacht.  At the time of making this decision they owned a trakker, (26 ft I think) so the first step was to sell the one they owned and buy a larger one, suitable for full-time living.

All this was undertaken and sorted in a short space of time and they had a huge party to celebrate their new adventure and leaving terra firma.  Heather had read about the need to label all tins of food and drink because sometimes water gets into the bilges, often where things are stored, and the labels come off. A certain sailor omitted to do this and when it came to meal time he opened a tin, which could be peaches, beetroot or baked beans or anything else, so Heather had averted that problem when the same thing happened to them.
 
She is an avid fisherwoman and has caught everything from parore to yellowtail and all in between and she can gut, scale and fillet as well as doing required maintenance like being hauled up the mast to untangle ropes when necessary.  She seems to have worked out a cunning plan now so that she has a knack of flicking the ropes so she doesn’t have to go aloft again.
 
They’ve cruised the Gulf to Great Barrier and north to Russell, she’s fallen overboard and been rescued, watched pods of dolphins and interacted with them, seen sharks at close quarters and met interesting people and also mastered the art of cooking aboard. Thank you for sharing your wonderful experiences and photographs with us Heather. Finally, she and her husband Peter, who joined us for afternoon tea, read a poem they had written.
 
It is inspirational to see women making the most of their lives after breast cancer.

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Breast Friends enjoy a February 'feast' with Sharyn from Kitchen Aid

This report from Group Coordinator Christine Rule

What a great February meeting today and we were pleased to welcome two new ladies. 

Our guest speaker was Sharyn (pictured) from Peter McInnes Kitchen Aid Appliances. They have donated money to the breast cancer cause for a number of years. There is a range of different coloured appliances including pink, which is very popular, when people learn about the donations made by the firm. 

Sharyn has also compiled a recipe book of family favourites, which sell for $15.00 and the funds from the sale also go towards breast cancer and the Cancer Society.
 
I understood that Sharyn would bring a small sample of something from her recipe book, but instead she generously made and brought three plates of food for us to sample. What a feast we had as Cindy, Judy and Helen had also brought biscuits and scones for afternoon tea. 

After the meeting, we shared the remaining food with those residing at Domain Lodge for treatment. 

Following afternoon tea, various issues were discussed, including the placement of nipples following reconstruction, being told of a charge for biopsies as the procedure was about to take place, the attitude of some medical professionals and 'complaints' staff towards women and the side-effects of Zoladex. It would be interesting to know if other women have had similar experiences with any of the above.

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