How We Help
When you're diagnosed with cancer, it's hard to find the time or energy to think about anything other than treating the cancer. Dry July raises money to ease that burden, reduce stress and add a bit of comfort for those affected by cancer.
Everything we fund is to benefit the cancer patient and their families and carers. We aim to make a difficult time, a little easier for those affected by cancer.
An update from Look Good Feel Better's Live Online Video Classes
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...
Look Good Feel Better classes improve the comfort and wellbeing of people like Jill.
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...
Your Dry July fundraising helps Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand support people like Chris.
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...
Dry July fundraising helps Bowel Cancer NZ support people like Kat
Katherine (Kat) was one of the many Kiwis considered ‘too young’ to have bowel cancer – she was diagnosed at age 34. “My only initial symptom was fatigue. I had two kids at the time, so I saw my GP, who said my iron levels were really low, and prescribed iron tablets.”
“I’ve had a lot of support along the way, particularly from Bowel Cancer NZ," she says.
“Mary (at Bowel Cancer NZ) provided me with one-to-one support and explained all that they do to help people get through this horrible diagnosis. It’s quite hard at first as people didn’t want to talk about it, but I did want to talk about it.”
Your Dry July fundraising means we can continue supporting Bowel Cancer NZ to help people like Kat.
You can read Kat’s full story here: ...
Your Dry July fundraising means we can continue supporting Look Good Feel Better New Zealand to help people like Melwyn.
Melwyn Le Comte was prepared to lose her hair, however when she shed her eyebrows, it brought her to tears.
A diagnosis is tough for anyone, but just days after surgery for breast cancer, her mother-in-law passed away from pancreatic cancer, and the 46-year-old wasn’t able to attend her funeral.
She was exhausted, bereft of femininity and mourning the loss of her husband’s mother. That is why she doesn’t underestimate the restorative power of attending a Look Good Feel Better class.
Free to anyone having any form of cancer treatment, the classes include not only a pamper session and make-up tips and tricks to combat the side effects of treatment, they also provide a welcoming environment for people to be with others who truly understand...
Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand is using Dry July funds to help people like Teka and Jan.
Teka, now 72, was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer in 2004 and is still going strong after several rounds of treatment.
Support groups are just one of the many ways the Prostate Cancer Foundation can help men and their partners. Another is a fitness programme the Foundation has been trialing in Christchurch for men with prostate cancer called Prost-FIT. Teka is part of this group which meets weekly and has from 10 to 14 people regularly taking part.
Jan says that “Teka has really enjoyed being part of this programme, it made a big change to his motivation and he really likes it because it is a fun way to spend time with others in his situation. Teka also likes the inclusiveness for Māori participants like him with poi and haka exercises”....
Look Good Feel Better Classes are helping people like Geneva
24 year old Geneva Wilson is signing up for Dry July this year. She would have done it last year, but for a shock diagnosis of breast cancer that saw July absorbed in medical appointments, fast-tracked surgery, fertility treatment and chemotherapy.
“I found a lump and was sent for an urgent scan. I had a double mastectomy two weeks after I was diagnosed and went through fertility treatment to harvest eggs before surgery for expandable implants. Then I started chemo – because I had the mastectomy, I didn’t have to have radiation.”
There have been many good days during her treatment, including her partner giving her a puppy for companionship and distraction, and a highlight is the Look Good Feel Better class.
“I recommend it for everyone....
How your fundraising will help Bowel Cancer NZ
When Stefan was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer at 46, he was in complete shock. “It took me by surprise: I’d been really healthy up until then. I didn’t even get colds, then I got cancer.”
“I immediately got on the Internet and came across the Bowel Cancer NZ website, which had a lot of information. It really helped me understand that this was a very common disease and that I wasn’t alone – a lot of people in New Zealand get this, and there was help and support out there. It helped me understand my symptoms better and what I was going through.”
“Bowel Cancer NZ is a network of people who really care about you and about New Zealand communities – they’ve been like a family and support network in one,” says Stefan.
Your Dry July...
Look Good Feel Better Classes for men in New Zealand
Feel Stronger Live Better Classes cover simple techniques to look after your skin, hair, body and mind so that you can face cancer with confidence. They are specifically for men with any type of cancer at any stage. It’s about helping men look after themselves, feel stronger and more in control during and after their cancer treatment
Last year, funds raised during Dry July supported men's Classes across New Zealand. This week Look Good Feel Better are holding their first Men’s Class in Gisborne and 15 men are registered to go along. This is the biggest turn out for a Men’s Class and is just such a great response.
The class is a relaxed one and a half hour session full of practical and easy to follow tips and techniques. It covers the areas...