More Support for Kiwis Affected by Upper GI Cancers.
We are incredibly proud to announce that Gut Cancer Foundation’s new Patient Support Service is now live!
This is a major step forward for upper GI cancer care here in Aotearoa New Zealand, and would not be possible without the generous support of our incredible community of donors, corporate partners and philanthropic funding. This launch is the culmination many months of hard work, planning, collaboration and dedication from our team.
Our new service is New Zealand’s first dedicated support service for people affected by upper gastrointestinal cancers, including pancreatic, oesophageal, stomach, liver and biliary cancers. Every year, around 2,500 New Zealanders are diagnosed with an upper GI cancer and until now, there has been no specialist support service focused on the unique challenges faced by these patients, their carers and their whānau.
Through this new nurse-led support service, we aim to help people feel more informed, supported and connected as they navigate symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, recovery, or life after an upper GI cancer diagnosis.
We would like to acknowledge and thank our partners at Pancare Foundation Australia, who have licensed their successful model of care and allowed us to adapt it for use here in New Zealand.
We are also incredibly grateful to our major donors who have made this mission a reality: Ecocycle, Roche Aotearoa, Viatris, Bristol Myers Squibb, BeOne Medicines, and the Estate of Ernest Hyam Davis and the Ted & Mollie Carr Endowment Trust, and the Lady Alport Barker Trust, proudly managed by Perpetual Guardian.
We are so grateful to our patient advocates Roselyn Storey and Andrew Edgar who gave up their time to share their personal experiences with pancreatic cancer and oesophageal cancer to help illustrate just how needed this service is. You can find out more about their personal experiences in this media coverage:
Find out more on our service and how to access support here.