NEW NETWORK – A FIRST FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

Yesterday on World Cancer Day, people gathered at the Sydney Town Hall for the launch of CAN Australia (the first national consumer-based alliance).

Lung cancer survivor, former NSW Premier and Federal finance minister, the Hon. John Fahey, launched the new organisation and spoke about his cancer experience and the importance of this new organisation.Mr Fahey said, ‘the psychological impact of a cancer diagnosis is devastating news for many people and for too many, it is the start of a lonely journey’.CAN Australia is about people who have experienced cancer putting their energies together to make the health system work more effectively for everyone who is touched by cancer.Chairperson of CAN Australia, Mr Russell McGowan, who survived a bone marrow transplant for a rare cancer-related disease called Myelofibrosis, introduced eight people involved in the initial organisation of CAN Australia who have survived a range of cancers.’CAN Australia wants to build on shared experiences common to everyone who has known cancer and give a voice to those with rare conditions’, he said. ‘We are passionate and dedicated about the need for a national consumer-based organisation which works in partnership with other cancer organisations, but maintains the perspective of those directly affected by the disease.’CAN Australia will focus on quality of life issues, access to appropriate medical treatment and the economic impacts of cancer. Many of these issues are highlighted in ‘Optimising Cancer Care in Australia’, a report by the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia, The Cancer Council Australia and the National Cancer Control Initiative, which was released during the launch of CAN Australia. Mr McGowan urged cancer consumer organisations and individuals to become involved in CAN to help identify areas which would make a difference to the burden of care for individuals and their families after diagnosis.Talking about the significance of Word Cancer Day and the launch of CAN Australia, Lyn Swinburne, breast cancer survivor, said, ‘This day is a fitting beginning for CAN Australia which commemorates the Charter of Paris Against Cancer signed on this day in 2000 in Paris recognising the need for innovation in all areas of cancer research, prevention and healthcare delivery as well as the equal partnership of people whose lives are affected by cancer’.She stressed the importance of CAN Australia being consumer-focused and recognising the need for on-going supportive care to improve the cancer journey after diagnosis.(Source: Australian Cancer Council & Cancer Alliance Network)For more information contact the Cancer Alliance Network Australia[alink href=’mailto:enquiries@canaustralia.org’]enquiries@canaustralia.org[/alink]