Sweet Louise is dedicated to supporting Kiwis with incurable breast cancer and, with New Zealand in lockdown, the organisation’s ability to provide practical, emotional and social support to people living with Stage 4 breast cancer, has been curtailed.
“Members of the Sweet Louise community are often not able to leave the house at the best of times, let alone now. They have compromised immunity, due to living with incurable breast cancer and chemotherapy so leaving home to get the essentials is not an easy task,” says Philippa Reed, CEO of Sweet Louise.
Kiwis looking for creative cooking ideas during the lockdown can assist Sweet Louise with fundraising by downloading The Sweet Louise Cookbook. At just $31, you’ll receive a great mix of recipes from Sweet Louise members as well as contributions from well-known personalities such as celebrity chef Al Brown, Matilda Green, Shavaughn Ruakere, Sarah Gandy, Jesse Mulligan, Karla Goodwin (Bluebells Cakery), Jordan Rondel (The Caker) and esteemed dietitian Angela Berrill. Sweet Louise sponsors LOAF, Bird on a Wire and Silver Fern Farms have also contributed.
“COVID-19 has provided our 700-plus members with more challenges than normal and we are grateful for any help to make their day-to-day lives easier. During these unprecedented times, we are continuing in our commitment to support women and men in New Zealand living with incurable breast cancer,” says Philippa. “We understand that many members have been living in times of uncertainty since their cancer diagnosis and are doing everything we can to offer additional support right now.”
The organisation’s support coordinators are reaching out to its members frequently to check on them via phone, email and by setting up regular video meetings. They have also shifted face-to-face meetings, held around the country once a month, to online video calls so that members can continue to feel connected at this time of isolation.
Breast cancer is New Zealand’s third most common type of cancer – approximately 3,000 men and women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and between 20-30% will go on to develop incurable breast cancer. Annually, Sweet Louise supports around 900 Kiwis – Cheryl Carr is one of them. Cheryl was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 36. Four years later, she was told the cancer had spread to her spine. Through Sweet Louise’s COVID-19 fundraising appeal, Cheryl will receive $500 worth of financial assistance each year to spend on practical support including getting home meals delivered, garden and home maintenance, uplifting wellbeing experiences and family outings.
“Sweet Louise has helped me when I cannot make ends meet by providing basic services – from groceries to lawn mowing, petrol vouchers and wellness experiences, they have made such a positive difference in my life”
Once diagnosed with incurable breast cancer, the average life expectancy is less than two years.
Please support Sweet Louise members at this time through providing funds for emergency petrol and food vouchers, or download the e-cookbook from sweetlouise.co.nz.
