Mid North Coast Local Health District
Mid North Health Local Health District
Home Pink forces unite for local cancer patients
Three women standing in a treatment room with a piece of medical equipment.z

Breast Care Nurse Joanne Woodlands with MDC Event Organiser Carmen Abi-Saab and Port Macquarie Pink Girl member Tracy Stone.

Pink forces unite for local cancer patients

Feb 27, 2023
This article was published 1 year ago.

On the eve of the launch of the 2023 Port Macquarie Mother’s Day Classic, event organisers visited the Mid North Coast Cancer Institute (MNCCI) to view the results of their most recent contribution.

The Mother’s Day Classic (MDC), an annual community fun run and walk, raises funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s lifesaving breast cancer research. Each year in Port Macquarie, local volunteer event organisers also join with representatives of Port Macquarie Pink Girls to raise funds to contribute to Port Macquarie’s MNCCI.

In the lead up to the launch of early bird registrations for the 2023 MDC, local volunteer event manager Carmen Abi-Saab and Tracy Stone from the Port Macquarie Pink Girls breast cancer support group met with Breast Care Nurse Jo Woodlands, who showed the ‘Go Pink’ crew a piece of equipment they helped fund through their 2022 event.

The PAXMAN scalp cooling system helps to minimise hair loss during chemotherapy. The funds raised through the sales of raffle tickets and pink merchandise at the 2022 Port Macquarie Mother’s Day Classic, enabled the volunteer group to assist the Cancer Institute in the purchase of an additional silicone cap attachment for the cooling machine.

The cap is placed on a patient’s head during chemotherapy and it is gradually cooled as it fills with a gel coolant. The scalp cooling system works by chilling the scalp and reducing blood flow to the scalp to prevent chemotherapy from getting to the hair follicles. It means the hair is less likely to be damaged and fall out during treatment.

This year marks the 9th year that the Mother’s Day Classic will be hosted in Port Macquarie. The community is invited to register for the 5km Walk and 5km Run events, with Port Macquarie’s event among more than 70 MDC events occurring across Australia on Mother’s Day, Sunday 14 May.

‘Go Pink’ is the annual theme, bringing colour and a sea of pink to the Port Macquarie foreshore in support of breast cancer research.

“We’re back for another year in Port Macquarie, and we can’t wait to make this year’s event our biggest yet,” said volunteer and local event manager Kylie Bulmer.

“Early Bird registrations open Wednesday 1 March for our Port Macquarie event, and we invite everyone across our community to get involved – young and old.

“MDC Local supporters can don their pink attire, connect with their local MDC community, and take part in the event together on Mother’s Day.”

Join team Port Macquarie MDC

The Port Macquarie event is run wholly by a team of volunteers and is backed by long-term local business sponsors, including MDC Local Event Major Partner HEM Property.

Kylie encourages Port Macquarie-Hastings residents to register soon to take advantage of the early bird pricing, and for those not registering with a team to join the ‘Port Macquarie’s MDC’ team during their registration process.

To find out more about the local event in Port Macquarie and keep up to date with event information, visit the Port Macquarie MDC on Facebook, or to register for the event visit the Mother’s Day Classic website.

How can you get involved?            Donate  |  Fundraise  |  Walk  |  Run

 

Top of page