Thanks to the fundraising efforts of Dry July participants, Look Good Feel Better NZ was able to develop and launch online classes, to extend its accessibility to cancer patients all over New Zealand.

Timing couldn’t have been better as Look Good Feel Better NZ was able to continue its services during COVID-19 lockdown when unfortunately they had to postpone community classes.

The online classes offer the same practical advice and tips as its community classes, but are split into two 1 hour classes: Skincare & Makeup and Wigs & Headwear.

To date, they have run over 20 online classes and welcomed over 100 participants, several who enjoyed their first class so much that they joined another!

Bowel Cancer New Zealand have been busy working away on a downloadable resource called 'Eating Well during bowel cancer treatment & recovery'.

It's your incredible Dry July fundraising that helps Bowel Cancer NZ create practical and informative resources as such, helping to ensure people affected by bowel cancer eat well during treatment and recovery.

Download it here 👉 bit.ly/2yAWmYJ

Our online classes have been a huge success!

Since launching at the start of April, we have run 12 online classes (59 women have attended, with 30 more registered for June classes. 

Attendees cover a wide range of ages: from 21-80, and from all over NZ. We have particularly seen participants join from more rural areas, and they have fed back how online is a convenient option than driving a long distance to community class. 

The participant feedback has been fantastic, with an average overall rating of 9.1 [Very Satisfied].  

“Thank you for the opportunity to be part of an online class at this challenging time (Lockdown). I appreciate the efforts that everyone has made to keep things running.” 

“It was great to still be able to do the online course despite Covid-19 so thank you for that and Josie was just lovely.” 

“Just want to say thank you for offering this to those of us going through challenging times. Whilst I would have loved a live class, due to COVID19, this was a great alternative.”

We have acted on participant feedback, and from July we will be offering an ‘Intro to Wigs’ class and focused ‘Scarf-tying and headwear’ class. This will enable more time in the class to go more in detail with the content, for those who want it, as well as give more time for participants to interact and connect with other.  

Our first Men’s online programme will go live on our website 8 June, with our first class planned for Saturday 4th July @4pm. More details to follow…

For Jill Solomon, the hardest part of her cancer diagnosis was what to say to family and friends and in particular her three school-age sons. 

“Having to tell them was a touchy moment. They are 15, 13 and 10. Because it was breast cancer, they didn’t want to know too much,” she says. “I decided I had to keep it quite factual, and ensure life did not change too much for them.” 

Jill was able to work through much of her months of treatment, that involved a partial mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. 

“I was coming to the end of my chemotherapy treatment and I started to think ‘what is the new me going to look like?’. I had an aunty who had been through Look Good Feel Better, and she said it was an amazing day. 

“It is a safe place to hang out for a couple of hours - you feel safe being vulnerable with other people who are going through or have been going through it, they understand the challenges that you face – such as having no eyelashes or eyebrows. I use the tricks I learned now, and I am using the products, says Jill. 

Your Dry July fundraising means we can continue supporting Look Good Feel Better New Zealand to help people like Jill. 

You can read Jill’s full story here: www.dryjuly.co.nz/2020/jills-story

Chris Ward knows only too well the benefits of going to Prostate Cancer Support Groups. So much so, the 70-year-old from Lincoln who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018, is now running his own Support Group for men with prostate cancer and their families.

Chris and his wife Dianne run a support group in Lincoln on the 4th Wednesday of the month that is well attended with over 40 people on their books. The Support Groups run under the guidance of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand, are a great way for men and their partners living with prostate cancer to tell their stories and to help people who have been recently diagnosed to navigate their way through the healthcare system and to consider the many treatment options they may have.

Your Dry July fundraising means we can continue supporting Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand to help people like Chris.

You can read Chris’ full story here: www.dryjuly.co.nz/2020/chris-story