Instructions
Despite the cold winds and early morning mist of the middle of winter, this is indeed a Dry July. In fact it’s my third Dry July, and so far so good.
Of course Dry July is not a quest to stay out of the rain, but rather an effort to raise much-needed funds for cancer wards around Australia. In its fourth year, the aim is to break the $4million mark, which would provide a range of ancillary services and materials that are desperately required.
For even with the best efforts of governments, there are a range of things that oncology wards simply don’t get money for. From the essentials like treatment chairs and scanners, to the simple things that make waiting around a hospital bearable such as couches instead of hard plastic chairs, and the provision of something as elementary as a coffee machine.
Outpatients undergoing chemotherapy are often at their lowest ebb, physically exhausted and emotionally drained. And yet they will spend up to 10 hours waiting around hospitals for stages of treatment – it is a harrowing process. This is when our contributions really make a difference. I think of it as putting the humanity back in to our approach to medicine. So how generous are you feeling?
Remember that the logic couldn’t be more personal. 1 in 2 Australians who live to the age of 85 will be diagnosed with cancer. Given that 85 is now the average life expectancy for women, this means half the females you know are on that list. It could be your mum, your sister, your wife, your best friend or even your daughter. With that in mind, ask yourself once again – how generous do you feel now?
I’d like you all to take just a few minutes and head online. Go to www.dryjuly.com/profiles/edwardhalmagyi and make a small donation. Whatever you will spend on drinks this weekend, I want you to offer that same amount to support cancer patients around Australia, in our community, and even in your street.
Do it because it’s the right thing, do it for your own family.
Shaker pie