Vision to Cure and Mission to Care
About the Leukaemia Foundation
The Leukaemia Foundation is the only national not for profit organisation in Australia dedicated to the care and cure of patients and families living with leukaemias, lymphomas, myeloma and related blood disorders. 14 Western Australians are diagnosed with a form of leukaemia every week - that’s half an AFL football team each week!
Here in Western Australia, the Leukaemia Foundation focuses on improving the quality of life for Western Australian patients and their families through personalised and practical care. This includes the provision of:
• ‘home away from home’ accommodation near major treatment centres in Perth
• Transportation to and from hospital; and
• Information, resources, education and emotional support.
All of these services are provided free of charge by the Leukaemia Foundation. The Leukaemia Foundation has a Mission to Care and a Vision to Cure. To support the Mission to Care, the Leukaemia Foundation provides care and support to patients, families and carers. To support the Vision to Cure, the Leukaemia Foundation funds cutting edge research into better treatments and cures through the National Research Program.
What are leukaemias?
Leukaemias are cancers that affect the bone marrow, where blood cells are made. It occurs when abnormal white blood cells multiply rapidly and spill into the blood stream.
There are four main types of leukaemia:
1. Acute myeloid leukaemia
2. Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
3. Chronic myeloid leukaemia
4. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.
Acute leukaemias develop quickly and need to be treated urgently. Chronic leukaemias develop more slowly and may not need to be treated for some time after diagnosis.
What are lymphomas?
Lymphoma is a general term that includes over 30 different sub-types of the disease. These can be divided into two main types: Hodgkin Lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Lymphomas are a cancer of cells produced by the bone marrow and matured in the lymphatic system. The cancer may originate in the lymph glands or organs such as the liver, spleen, bowel or bone marrow.
What is myeloma?
Myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells that usually arises in the bone marrow. Abnormal cancerous plasma cells, called myeloma cells are made in the bone marrow and often form collections know as tumours in the bones. National incidences of the diseases Leukaemias, lymphomas, myeloma and related blood disorders can develop in anyone, of any age, at any time.
In the next twelve months, more than 9,000 Australians are projected to be diagnosed with one of these diseases; the equivalent of nearly 25 people per day! It is projected that in 2010, 4,734 Australians will be diagnosed with lymphomas, 3,138 with leukaemias and 2,191 with myeloma; more than 10,000 people in total. The most rapidly increasing cancer is lymphoma. It is now the fifth most common cancer in Australia.
Patient Support - Accommodation
The Leukaemia Foundation in WA has three main accommodation centres for patients in the Perth metropolitan area. Treatment for leukaemias is currently only available in Perth, therefore 93% of our patients who stay in the 12 ‘home away from home’ accommodation units are from regional Western Australia. These units are fully furnished and allow families to be together during one of the most stressful periods in their lives. Treatment can continue for up to eight months and families stay in the units for the entire period.
Patient Support - Transport
The patient transport program is a core service provided by the Leukaemia Foundation for patients. It is staffed entirely by volunteers, who transport patients to and from hospital for treatments and appointments.
In the last twelve months, the patient transport program has:
• Booked 1,400 individual trips
• Used $8,000 worth of fuel
• Covered over 50,000km
On average, there are 10 return trips each day that travel 35kms between 9am and 5pm every day.
The two fully maintained highly branded Commodore sedans that are used for patient transport have been sponsored by Bridgestone Tyre Centre franchisees in Western Australia.
Patient Support - Education
The Leukaemia Foundation’s team of highly trained support services staff provide emotional support as required for patients and families. Support and education may be provided over the phone or face to face at home, hospital or at the Leukaemia Foundation’s accommodation centres depending on individual needs.
There are several education programs, support groups and that are offered by the Leukaemia Foundation, depending on demand, throughout the year.
These include disease specific education programs
• Learn Now Live Well (for carers)
• Multiple myeloma support group
• Carer’s support group
• Annual patient conference (for 200+ guests)
• Living with grief program
• Nurse’s retreat
• Carer’s retreat.
Where the money goes
Fundraising from national campaigns, such as the annual ‘World’s Greatest Shave’, corporate partnerships and ‘charity of choice’ sponsorships are used provide patient care. By way of example of where the money goes:
$55Pays for one car to transport patients to and from hospital for one day
$100 Provides a family with a fully furnished ‘home away from home’ near a treatment centre for one night
$250 Provides access fro a patient and their family to attend a disease-specific education and support program
$10,000 Provides a honours year scholarship for research
Did you know?
Leukaemia is the most common form of childhood cancer yet more than 90% of Australians diagnosed with leukaemia are adults.
Approximately 1,363 Australians will die of leukaemias every year; the equivalent of almost four people every day.
The diseases often develop with little warning, requiring immediate, intensive and lengthy treatment. Families in regional areas often need to uproot their lives and relocate to Perth virtually overnight. In reality, it means leaving work, school, family commitments and friends while dealing with the emotional turmoil of diagnosis and immediate treatment.
The cause of these cancers and related blood disorders remains relatively unknown.
How you can help
There are many ways of supporting the Leukaemia Foundation in Western Australia. Here are six popular ways that individuals and corporate organisations support the Foundation:
• Participate in the annual fundraiser ‘World’s Greatest Shave’! Participants register to have their hair coloured or shaved to raise funds for leukaemia patients.
• Provide administration assistance to the office. This is especially valuable during key campaign times (such as during the annual ‘World’s Greatest Shave’) throughout the year.
• ‘On the ground’ support at events. This can include ticket collection, donation tin collection and other key support roles to complement the event.
• Utilising your contacts. The Leukaemia Foundation is always looking for volunteers who can source products or services on its behalf. This can include whitegoods for auctions, celebrities for increased media presence at events or service providers (such as hotels and venues) who can provide their products at discounted rates for the Leukaemia Foundation.
• Expanding on your professional services. You may be able to support patient families through skills like financial planning, accounting, or even marketing strategies to help families keep on top of support from their local communities.
• Becoming a champion for the Leukaemia Foundation. This means you would be the contact between your organisation and LFWA for providing feedback between the two organisations, organising fundraisers on behalf of LFWA, dealing with queries and helping manage the mutual relationship.
You can also talk to your company about Workplace Giving, which is a tax deductible payroll donation to the Leukaemia Foundation on a regular basis.
For more information contact
The Leukaemia Foundation in WA First Floor, 20 Gibberd Road Balcatta WA 6021
Phone: 08 6241 1000 Fax: 08 6241 1070 www.leukaemia.org.au
First Floor, 20 Gibberd Road Balcatta WA 6021
Website: www.leukaemia.org.au
