Exciting news, myHT Guide is live!
This vital new programme is supporting women as they begin - or continue - hormone therapy for breast cancer. This is a significant milestone, and it is only possible thanks to incredible generosity of people like you.
Hormone therapy is an important part of breast cancer treatment. It can reduce the risk of breast cancer returning by 30% and offers a 40% improvement in overall survival.
However, hormone therapy is a long-term treatment and can come with exhausting side effects like hot flushes, memory loss, anxiety, and joint pain which can have a huge impact on day-to-day life. It’s not easy! Up to 50% of people prescribed hormone therapy stop taking it within five years.
In July, we partnered with Whangārei Hospital to launch myHT Guide with 100 women in Northland. The impact has been immediate. Women are feeling supported, and clinicians are embracing the programme too.
Dr Edmond Ang, a medical oncologist at Whangārei Hospital, has been on the frontline of breast cancer care in Northland for years. He’s seen firsthand the challenge of supporting women to stay on treatment, particularly in a region where there are many challenges.
“It’s arguably more challenging in Northland… given the rurality and socio-economic barriers many of our patients face. The current strain on our health system threatens to reduce our capacity to support these women.”
Dr Ang explains that hormone therapy can be perceived as an ‘easier’ treatment (than chemotherapy or surgery).
“Because of this, patients leave hospital-based care, appointments are few and far between, and they’re increasingly discharged to the GP. myHT Guide fills in an important gap that is widening. If the project can succeed in Northland, it will succeed anywhere in the country.”
Dr Ang views myHT Guide as more than a helpful add-on. It is a vital piece of the care puzzle.
“It has the scope and focus to serve as an invaluable parallel support programme: a one-stop resource centre for women going through hormone therapy.”
myHT Guide is helping to relieve pressure on busy health services, while giving women the expert, compassionate support they deserve. It’s a true partnership, between clinicians, nurses, and donors.
Thank you for helping to make this possible. You’re not just supporting patients; you’re strengthening the whole system around them.
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Have you been touched by breast cancer and would like to share your story? We’d love to hear more about it.
