http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.breastcancersupport.org.nz en-us Fri, 01 May 2026 19:49:01 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/post/157360/supportive-resource-for-children/ Author Su-yin Ingle tells us about her newly published book, Together, which she wrote for her young children to help them understand her diagnosis and what was happening.The book can be purchased here from Amazon Australia.With a background in Fine Art and as a teacher of Art, Design and Photography, creating and illustrating children’s picture books has long been a dream of mine. After my children were born, our days were filled with creativity, play, and endless mess-making, fuelling my pas... Thu, 04 Dec 2025 09:58:23 +1300 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/#post157360 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/post/154001/24-years-ago-today/ The 13th of October 2001 was a Saturday.I remember thinking, 'It can't be good news if I'm being called in to a clinic appointment on a Saturday.'It wasn't.Mrs Belinda Scott was a well-known breast surgeon and I had seen her a few days prior. I'd found a lump which had been dismissed by a local radiology clinic as 'something' and I wasn't at all happy with 'something' so made an appointment to see Belinda at her clinical practice, Breast Associates, which is still helping women today. Sadly, Mrs... Mon, 13 Oct 2025 12:02:22 +1300 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/#post154001 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/post/152455/to-tell-or-not-to-tell/ From guest Blogger Jane Bissell Being told you have breast cancer is devastating.Telling someone else can be traumatic too.When we're given a diagnosis by a medical professional, we may have someone with us, or we might not. At the time we're told, the reality of a diagnosis is in the room with us, the doctor, and maybe our partner or a friend. That's it.Then we are faced with 'the telling'. Who do we tell, and how and when? To begin answering that question, there's one thing to rememb... Thu, 18 Sep 2025 10:50:29 +1200 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/#post152455 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/post/146325/someone-to-walk-alongside/ By Jane BissellSometimes it can really help to talk to someone other than family after a breast cancer diagnosis, someone who understands and isn't a close family member or friend. Being able to 'let it all hang out' without fear of upsetting anyone can be a relief. Knowing that you don't have to be strong when speaking to this person allows a release of emotion and anxiety that we may be bottling up around those closest to us. And it's OK to show this person how vulnerable we feel, how exhauste... Wed, 28 May 2025 09:59:42 +1200 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/#post146325 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/post/144728/a-nice-cup-of-tea/ By Jane BissellThere's nothing quite like a nice cup of tea.Warm and soothing, perhaps with milk and sugar and in your favourite cup? Biscuits go well with tea, and conversation does too. Some of the best chats I've had have been over the tea or coffee cups, catching up with friends, comparing notes, sharing a bit of gossip.Breast Cancer Support's Cuppa and Chat support group may be an online one, but we can still get together, have a cup of tea, and a good chat.  Talking things t... Mon, 28 Apr 2025 08:12:57 +1200 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/#post144728 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/post/144051/information-is-power/ by Jane BissellInformation may be power, but it can also be overwhelming. We need it so that we can make well informed decisions about important matters, however in this access-all-hours-overload of information everywhere, it can be too much. Add in the stress of the situation at hand, and you have a recipe for overload.  A diagnosis of breast cancer brings with it a veritable ton of information, and most of this, if not all, needs to be gone through and understood within a short space... Fri, 11 Apr 2025 10:44:33 +1200 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/#post144051 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/post/142929/listen-when-we-say-something-isnt-right/ By Jane BissellEvery now and then I hear breast cancer referred to as 'a good one to have', with the add-on of, '... and you can just cut it off, can't you?', usually said by someone who hasn't experienced a cancer of any kind.  Okay, I suppose as cancers go, that may be true. Survival rates are very good for breast cancer and improving all the time. There is a continual battle here in New Zealand to have publically-funded access to the world-class, clinically proven cancer treatments ... Fri, 14 Mar 2025 11:01:36 +1300 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/#post142929 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/post/139306/cancer-at-christmas/ There's nothing Christmassy about cancer - and being diagnosed with it during the holiday season can be very difficult, physically and emotionally.The rigours of the days following a diagnosis can be exhausting: appointments, tests and scans, maybe travel (even short distances can be challenging with holiday traffic and summer heat), and if cancer treatment is part of the mix (chemotherapy, radiotherapy), that physical fatigue can be overwhelming.The emotional impact can be even tougher to endur... Tue, 17 Dec 2024 10:14:46 +1300 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/#post139306 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/post/138149/talking-about-it/ From guest Blogger Jane BissellIn the previous post we spoke about writing, and how good it can be to get words on the page, noting down how we're feeling day to day. This type of writing can be done well in a daily journal, or in short one-off pieces that you create when you need to.There is something so beneficial about sharing our experiences, whether that's just with the page or screen, or with others who 'get it', no detailed explanations necessary! COVID did a real number on community... Wed, 20 Nov 2024 10:27:07 +1300 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/#post138149 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/post/137261/writing-about-it/ It's a well known fact that writing can be a useful therapeutic tool, and the more you do it, the more benefit you can derive.Keeping a daily journal, whether it be to simply record what we do during the day, or to confide within its pages our joys, sorrows, challenges, and achievements, can make us feel good too. There's something about 'getting it out' onto the page. The act of writing can help us process thoughts, sort out problems, and find ways forward when life seems so hard. This com... Tue, 05 Nov 2024 09:50:32 +1300 http://www.breastcancersupport.org.nz/blog/#post137261