Tag Archive for: Temora

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Temora Branch Autumn 2025-26 Highlights

Temora Can Assist Executive and Ribbon Run members at the branch’s Christmas meeting. Ribbon Run president Chris Watson thanked the community for the wonderful ongoing support of the group’s fundraising efforts.

 

Temora Can Assist greatly appreciates the continued outstanding support from our community. This includes the most recent donation from the Temora Ribbon Run group of $25,000. This group coordinates an annual motorcycle ride in October and other fundraisers throughout the year. It is a great example of the many groups and individuals in our community who are kind and generous in their support for cancer patients. Temora Can Assist members continue their regular fundraisers including street stall and raffles, and are planning a public meeting to increase awareness in the community of how Can Assist can help and services available.  

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Carmel’s Story

 

Carmel from Temora had been unwell for a couple of years and had trouble swallowing. But it wasn’t until Carmel collapsed and was taken to hospital that Carmel was told that she had Oesophageal cancer. 

Carmel needed to have 5 weeks of chemo and radiation treatment – one day of chemo and 5 days of radiation treatment – all in Wagga.  Despite staying at Can Assist’s Lilier Lodge in Wagga for her chemo, Carmel still traveled more than 6000 kms for her treatment. Due to a 6 week wait before the treatment and surgery, it was December when Carmel had a 7-hour surgery to remove the tumour. 

For Carmel it was Christmas in hospital, away from her family. And even though they had made a nice lunch that day, Carmel struggled to eat it due to her surgery. 

Carmel was a bit hesitant to approach Can Assist as she thought someone else probably needed help more than her. But as she could not work for 5 months, and the bills had increased with the addition of the medical and travel bills, Carmel spoke to the lovely person at Can Assist – “they were really really good. They just allowed me to discuss what I wanted to, but the emotional support was there for sure.” Can Assist assisted with petrol vouchers which certainly helped with her 34 trips to Wagga, the costs of the accommodation at Lilier Lodge, and protein drinks that Carmel needed to build her strength before surgery. 

“So when you ‘re struggling with emotions, financial concerns are just an added worry, which was difficult. But thankfully, Can Assist relieved that burden for me.” 

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Alan’s Story

Noreen and Alan

 

It was that one phone call in 2019 in Temora – after years of blood tests, the last test meant a visit to a urologist. It felt out of the blue that Alan was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It had spread to his seminal vesicle, which is a pair of small tubular glands. This meant that surgery was not an option for Alan. The treatment for Alan was radiation every day for 8 weeks, and then hormone injections every three months for 2 years.  

Alan wanted to be home every night of his treatment, despite being very sick and suffering through the 85km trip home from Wagga. It took a lot out of him, but he wanted to be home with his wife who was on dialysis every night.  

“My husband is a very independent man and always pays his own way. It was very hard for him to accept help”. But his wife Noreen knew that they needed assistance. They were retired and were getting overwhelmed by the unexpected costs that come with cancer, and the costs of traveling for treatment. So, Noreen reached out to Can Assist Temora. “It was the best thing I ever did”. 

Not only did Can Assist assisted with financial support (pharmaceutical bills, fuel vouchers…), but also emotional support “someone to talk to … very understanding … more like talking to a friend”. Can Assist even surprised them with a great big Xmas hamper and a Xmas IGA voucher to cheer Alan and Noreen up – which was wonderful as at this stage Alan was mid-way through his treatment. 

*As told by wife Noreen 

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Doug’s Story

 

Doug’s specialist put Doug on tablets when he had a high PSA reading and was told that “he was never likely to get prostate cancer”. When Doug felt that he wanted to stop taking the tablets, his doctor in Temora didn’t give any explanation of the consequences. In 2022 Doug went for his regular blood test and queried re getting a PSA reading. But his GP said that he wasn’t due to have that test for another year. When Doug did have this blood test in 2023, his PSA reading was concerning. 

Doug then went to another urologist in Wagga, where Doug received the news that he had prostate cancer, that it was in 5 lymph nodes and on the bone. If Doug had had the test the year before when he asked, the cancer may have been contained. 

Doug’s treatment was radiation every day for 8 weeks. During this period Doug had a supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) attack (the heart races) which meant that Doug was put into Wagga hospital. After another attack, Doug had to go to Sydney for an ablation to control the SVT. He flew to Sydney on Sunday, operated on Monday, travelled back on Tuesday, and back to radiation on Wednesday.  

Now that his radiation treatment is complete, Doug has a hormone injection every 4 months as well as taking hormone tablets. And now “I’m just trying to live my life normally”. 

Doug knew about Can Assist from their fundraising in Temora, and because of friendships with some of the Can Assist branch committee. And he also knew that he would need assistance as he is a pensioner. So far Doug has travelled 8,000kms on his cancer journey. Can Assist assisted with accommodation at Lilier Lodge, petrol vouchers, medication and out of pocket treatment fees. 

Doug has found support for his journey from Can Assist, from his Men’s Shed group, and from the Temora Cancer Support group. And from his garden – Doug grows plants to sell at Temora’s Own Arts and Crafts shop. 

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Linda’s Story

 

Linda almost reached the important 5-year milestone – to the day. 

Linda from Temoa had a bleeding mole on her back in 2016 which tested as malignant, but a surgeon removed it. Linda was left with a small scar and instructions to have ultrasounds on different areas of her body every 3 months for 5 years. 

Then almost 5 years later, Linda’s husband found a lump on the scar tissue. Linda was diagnosed with stage 3 morbid malignant melanoma. Now she has a very big scar from the 90 odd stitches on her back, from the surgery to remove the cancer.  

Linda had many tests (CAT scans, PET scans, MRIs, ultrasounds) and a Port-a-Cath put in because her veins kept collapsing. Considering her other health conditions (a pacemaker and being an insulin-dependent diabetic), her treatment was immunotherapy for 13 months. Linda would need to have a CAT scan and a blood test (one visit to Wagga) prior to the immunotherapy appointment (another visit to Wagga).  

Linda is now in remission “Immunotherapy has done wonderful things for people with melanomas”. She still must travel to Wagga for the tests and visits to her specialist each 6 months (so far, she has travelled 6,000kms).  

But Linda is so grateful for the advancements in melanoma treatment, as she lost her son to melanoma in 1999, when Bradd was only 24 years old. Bradd died within 8 months of diagnosis. 

Linda is also grateful to Can Assist who assisted her with travel assistance and staying at Lilier Lodge “which saved a lot of travel and made such a difference – reduced the worry.” 

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Bev’s Story

 

“Thank god my mum made me go and do the test”. In February 2023 Bev went to the BreastScreen NSW Bus for a mammogram in Temora, knowing “the bus won’t be back for 2 years”. Bev thought she might as well go as she had the day off work, and it will only take 15 minutes. Bev had had no symptoms, no family history, but she didn’t check for lumps either. Bev was surprised when she got calls to say that she needed more tests to be done, but then was not surprised to be told that she had breast cancer. 

Bev had her first surgery in April, and then her second surgery in June, which included a lumpectomy and lymph nodes removal. Bev then started chemo in August, which finished in January 2024. Her breast removal surgery was delayed because Bev had COVID, but then she had it in March. This was followed by 25 rounds of radiation – every day for 5 weeks. 

Bev will be taking chemo tablets for 2 years, and hormone blockers for 5-10 years – as well as an infusion once every 6 months for 3 years. Just when she thought she was done, in August Bev started to develop lymphedema and is now seeing a lymphedema specialist. All of Bev’s treatment and specialist appointments have been in Wagga – to date she has made 65 trips to Wagga, 11,000 kms. Bev is now back at work (after not working for 6 months), but she doesn’t work every second Friday as she knows she needs a day for medical appointments. 

Can Assist assisted Bev with costs such as fuel vouchers, accommodation at Lilier Lodge in Wagga, mastectomy bras, wig, and lymphoedema compression bandage.  “Can Assist are there to help, and it really takes the financial burden off you when you’re dealing with so much other stress. Don’t ever think that you don’t deserve to get help because everyone needs it, and that’s what they’re there for. And they’re lovely people.” 

The biggest surprise to Bev is that “I’m the best I’ve been in my life mentally” – as she was getting the cancer removed from her body, she was also removing other factors in her life that were weighing her down. “Feel like I’ve got a second chance”. 

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Kerry’s Story

 

Kerry had her usual mammogram in February 2023 at the BreastScreen NSW Bus – she had been having a mammogram for 14 years or so for family reasons – when she received the call to say that they wanted to do more tests. After more tests, it was Kerry’s Temora GP that told her she had breast cancer – an aggressive type. It snowballed into appointments with a surgeon, more scans and mammograms – all in Wagga. 

Over the course of 18 months, Kerry had a lumpectomy, which revealed cancer cells there. So Kerry needed another surgery to remove 4 lymph lodes, which came back negative (which was good), but left Kerry with lymphedema. Kerry then started chemo in July. They needed to first put in a chemo port which took 3 surgeries as its insertion didn’t go well. Kerry had first being told it would be 12 weeks of chemo (every 3 weeks), then told it would be another 18 weeks of chemo. But due to a reaction to the chemo (numbness in fingers and toes), this chemo treatment was stopped after week 6, and they started Kerry on chemo injections every 3 weeks (20 injections in total). Kerry also had 21 sessions of radiation which burnt her – she ended up in hospital to heal this wound as it was red and weeping. 

Kerry was assisted by Can Assist with accommodation at Lilier Lodge the night before she had surgery, with fuel vouchers for the many kilometres she travelled, a wig, and lymphedema bras. In total Kerry has travelled 12,000 kms for diagnosis and treatment – traveling to Wagga and back after each treatment as she wanted to be home in her own bed each night. 

It was Kerry’s ten grandchildren that were “my inspiration … they keep me going.” Whilst Kerry was going through her treatment, she lost her granddaughter Bea which was heartbreaking.  Kerry knew that Bea wouldn’t want her to give up. 

Kerry also made new friends through cancer. Kerry met Bev who also discovered she had breast cancer because of a visit to the BreastScreen NSW Bus. And Kerry met other cancer people through the cancer support group in Temora that meets regularly. 

Temora Volunteers Thanked by Mayor

Regional Can Assist branches do so much to support local community members, and their families and friends, who are affected by cancer.
Delighted to attend a Temora Shire Council Mayoral Citation to thank Can Assist Temora local volunteers, who have raised around $1 million to help more than 700 cancer patients since its inception in 1983.
Volunteers are indeed the beating heart of our local communities and I thank each and every person who selflessly invests time in their local community to make it an even better place to live, work and raise a family.

Tag Archive for: Temora

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