Thank you! How you supported people affected by cancer last year

NSW, give yourself a big pat on the back.

We’re pleased to say that in 2018/19, more than 246,000 people across NSW supported people affected by cancer with fundraising activities or donations, raising almost $64 million.  

Thanks to our supporters’ passion, dedication and hard work, last year more than 530,000 cancer patients and their carers were able to access the information and support they needed, at the time they needed it most.

Making a difference in cancer patients’ lives

The people you supported includes Helen White and her 84-year-old mother Margaret, who was one of the 2,660 cancer patients and carers we helped get to treatment centres and hospitals through Transport to Treatment.

Helen told us:

“Cancer Council NSW and the volunteer drivers couldn’t have been more helpful. Most of the drivers had either had cancer or had a family member who had been through cancer, so they knew what Mum was going through and could help take her mind off things.

They were just so good to Mum – it was more like being on an outing with a friend! They were always on time, they’d chat with her, walk her into the hospital, then be there when she was finished to drive her home.

The drivers just took all the stress out of it for us. I couldn’t recommend them highly enough – I just think it’s one of the best things ever.”

In addition, your support meant that:

• You helped ensure 2,258 cancer patients and carers had access to affordable accommodation close to their treatment centres.
• 2,677 people accessed financial assistance in time of financial stress.
  
• $5.2 million worth of legal, financial, workplace or small business assistance was delivered to people in need.

Funding and conducting world-class research

In 2018/19, you enabled $19 million investment into vital cancer research, funding 250 researchers working on 65 projects across 19 institutions. One of those is Professor Jacob George, a liver cancer researcher and Director of the Storr Liver Centre. Professor G who is investigating a new way to combat drug resistance in liver cancer – one of the top 10 causes of cancer deaths in Australia.

Professor George told us:

“We’ve had very exciting laboratory results – we can demonstrate that these aptamer targeted drugs reduce tumour number and size and can ultimately allow the test subject to live longer. Since stem cells are not unique to liver cancer, aptamer mediated treatments could be used to treat a range of other cancers.”

Take a look at our Annual Report

This is just a tiny snippet of what your support accomplished in 2018/19. Learn more about your impact.

Although we’re incredibly proud of our 2018/19 results, we know there’s still a lot of work to be done if we’re going to continue reducing the impact of cancer. To learn more about our focus moving forward, please read our 2019-23 Strategy. It outlines the four key priority areas we’ve committed to:

• reducing cancer risk
• increasing cancer survival
• improving the quality of life of people affected by cancer
• improving cancer outcomes for priority populations.

You can support our work.