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: Central meeting in January 2013

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Central Group to meet in January 2013
The Central Breast Friends will meet at the Auckland Cancer Society (details above) on Monday 14 January 2013, from 1 pm until 3 pm. Please call Group Coordinator Christine for more information on (09) 416 7114.

From Group Coordinator Christine Rule 
Auckland  Central Breast Friends ladies met for a Christmas Break-up party at the December meeting.  We were delighted to welcome two new ladies to our group and several others who have been unable to attend for a while.
 
Everyone brought food for a shared lunch and we dined and drank sparkling juice for several hours amid laughter and chat. This was interspersed with the drawing of three lucky prizes. Congratulations to the winners.
 
This was followed by a short magic session performed by Christine and husband Ron. Was it magic, ESP or collective communication?
 
Our group will continue to hold meetings in 2013 at Domain Lodge on the 2^nd Monday of every month from 1.00pm – 3.00pm. We are most grateful to the Cancer Society for allowing us to use this wonderful central facility.
 
Anyone who has had a breast cancer diagnosis at any time is welcome to attend our meeting in January.  For further details phone Christine 416 7114.  Our answerphone is on 24/7 so if there is no reply please leave your name and phone number and I will return your call as soon as I’m able.
  

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Central hold annual auction for BCS
From Group Coordinator Christine Rule

Our November meeting was an auction to raise funds for Breast Cancer Support (pictured: Cindy the Auctioneer gets the ball rolling!).

The weather forecast had been bad, Prince Charles and Camilla were doing their walkabout in the city and a number of members were unable to come because of weddings, work commitments or wonky tummies. However we continued valiantly on and all left with good bargains.

We were pleased to welcome a friend of one of the Members and  two volunteers from the Cancer Society, who did their bit to help fill the coffers.
 
Some of the ladies had worked really hard, picking up goods from all over Auckland and arrived with cars looking more like moving vehicles. Sadly they still looked a bit the same for the homeward journey on their way to deliver the unsold items to Hospice or Salvation Army stores. I think some 'Popeye' muscles were evident after all the lifting and carrying backwards and forwards.
 
During the bidding it was necessary to stop for some refreshments, kindly supplied by several of the ladies. 

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Women enjoy 'an Encore' in October 
From Group Coordinator Christine Rule

We were privileged to have Joce Burlton-Bennett as our guest speaker for the October meeting.

Joce is a Programme Coordinator for the YWCA Encore exercise programme, an 8-week course of free floor and pool-based exercise for women who have experienced breast surgery as a result of breast cancer (read more about Encore on this website). 

The exercises are designed to improve mobility and stamina and the water-based exercises are particularly helpful for the lymphatic system and can relieve some of the discomfort associated with lymphoedema. (Pictured above left - at 80 years plus Audrey still enjoys participating in the activities!)

Each person is encouraged to participate at a rate which suits them. There is no competition or urging participants to do better or go faster or harder. Joce took us through some of the exercises and the diaphragmatic breathing techniques. At a later date she may come back and help us with some relaxation and visualization. (Concentration was needed as Joce took us through some Encore exercises!) 
 
They also have a number of guest speakers during the eight week programme, presenting on a range of topics relating to health and well-being issues.
 
Only one of our ladies today had attended the programme previously and said it was not only beneficial but also good fun. 
 
We learned that to participate it is necessary to apply on the prescribed form and also obtain written permission from the doctor or oncologist. Encore programmes are always very popular and it is recommended to apply as early as possible because places are limited.
 
As usual some of the ladies had brought along delectable tasty treats for afternoon tea.

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'Boxing on' towards Daffodil Day!
From Group Coordinator Christine Rule

We were pleased to welcome a new lady, originally from Malaysia, and her friend, as well as others who had not been able to attend for a while. 
 
At our August meeting we were expecting to pack daffodils for the Cancer Society, but instead we made the boxes for the fresh daffodils to go in  - 475 of them!  We were pleased to be able to do something to help the Cancer Society  because  we’re extremely grateful  for the  use of the Support Room and parking facilities at Domain Lodge for our meetings. Today we were able to chat more while making boxes, whereas last year we were too busy counting the daffodils into plastic bags
 
Afterwards we were pleased to hear from Gayle and Susan about some of the important aspects  that they learned at the recent seminar about problems in  the environment,  poisons and  things to avoid, particularly about  plastics, containers and  wrappers. This led to a general discussion about endeavouring  to do the right thing  healthwise  and the difficulties we encounter  when experts change their advice about different foods and practices.
 
We also discussed  the possibility of  holding another Auction, White Elephant Stall or Silent Auction in November to raise money for Breast Cancer Support
 

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Learning about EFT with Barbara Godding
This report from Group Coordinator Christine Rule

The July meeting at Auckland Central was well attended. We were lucky to have Barbara Godding (pictured) as our guest speaker, whose topic for the day was complementary therapies. 
 
Barbara is ACC registered and is an osteopath, naturopath, and deals with nutrition, herbal medicine, acupuncture and hypnotherapy. Barbara also took us through some beneficial breathing techiniques as well as EFT.
 
EFT  is 'emotional freedom technique'. Many of us hadn't heard of this and were interested to hear more about it. The EFT process works by interrupting the meridian point where old stories, patterns and responses are locked in. The tapping points are similar to acupuncture.
 
Our thoughts are extremely powerful and having faith in ourselves helps with healing and boosting the immune system. We were asked to try and focus on good and beautiful thoughts not negative ones.
 
A simple problem of sleeping difficulties was discussed. We were asked to accept and love ourselves, ask for help with a problem in a positive way and tap on tapping points to assist us with our healing. Having faith in ourselves helps healing.
 
It is important to tell your cancer medical team about any complementary therapies you wish to try and to remember these do not replace the treatments from that team. As adults we can investigate the benefits of different complementary therapies and use or discard as we see fit.

To read more about EFT, visit Wikipedia and there is an e-commerce site which may be of interest too - The Tapping Solution.  
 

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It's Midwinter Christmas time - break out the antlers!
This report from Group Coordinator Christine Rule

20 ladies came along to the June Central Auckland meeting to enjoy what was initially a Midwinter Christmas Lunch but was extended to be a Celebration Lunch with sparkling grape juice and delectable food brought by everyone.

We celebrated birthdays, life, living, recovering from illness, getting a family pet, family visiting from overseas, soon to be a grandma, becoming vice president of a group and many other things worthy of celebration.
 
Many joined in the midwinter Christmas theme wearing antlers, hats of various shapes and sizes and one a decorated Roman conqueror's helmet, to indicate celebrating overcoming illness, with tinsel streamer as a token gesture to mid-winter Christmas. Pictured at left (L to R) are Cindy and Iona in their Christmas finery!
 
When the ladies arrived they were given a lucky number and four recived small gifts when their numbers were selected.
 
It was decided to volunteer our services to the Cancer Society at our August meeting to help with counting daffodils for distribution. We did this last year too and it was great fun and much appreciated by the Society.

Of interest to others could be a recommendation from one of our Members about the buy 3 bras, get 3 free. Equates to approx $14.00 each and they are very comfortable, of similar style but alternative brand to those covered by the Government subsidy. Can also be purchased singly, elsewhere. 
 

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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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