Firstly, let me thank you all for your efforts, your donations of time and expertise, your energies and accommodations during these troubling times. It’s easy to become insular and look inwards during difficult times like these, forgetting there are still many people beyond our loved ones who still depend on our help. With the health care industry stretched for resources due to COVID-19, Solaris Cancer Care needs your support and the support of the West Australian community now more than ever.
As many of you know, we are supporting the most vulnerable part of our community – people who are already immune-compromised and fighting for their lives, many in isolation, in both the metropolitan and regional areas.
I’m proud to say the Solaris team was ahead of the curve when responding to social isolation measures, bringing all essential services online by 20 March in a cost-effective way and thus ensuring continuity of services to our clients. This was vital as Solaris Cancer Care improves the lives of all adult cancer patients, their families and carers, all year round, and with your continued support will be able to keep doing so after COVID-19 is a thing of the past.
We also hope that our on-line services and support will be accessed by the extended West Australian community who may be suffering mental health issues caused by COVID-19 and the Federal and State Government’s important and necessary intervention measures.
Without the security of ongoing government funding, to continue to provide our vital services we need your help to ensure our May We Survive 2020 campaign raises much needed funds.
There are many ways you can contribute and help; most only requiring a little of your time which I know is precious, but when all focused together will really bring Solaris Cancer Care into the spotlight and allow us to keep helping others. Please visit www.solarismws.com.au to see what role you can play to help Solaris.
Once again, I thank you so very much for all you do.
Sincerely,
Dr David Joske
Founder and Board Chair
Solaris Cancer Care
About the Campaign
Today, we are launching a campaign called May We Survive, which will be a four-week high-impact marketing campaign that will run through the month of May.
The objective of the campaign is to raise much needed funds by demonstrating the support Solaris Cancer Care provides to those who are already immune comprised and fighting for their lives during the health and economic uncertainties which have arisen from COVID-19.
The campaign will include a series of promotional activities that will tell Solaris Cancer Care’s story, its importance and our current response to COVID-19. We will be focusing on keeping clients in touch with counsellors, employees and volunteers during the COVID-19 crisis as Solaris Cancer Care is the only service provider in WA which supports all adult cancers at any stage of their cancer journey through its evidence-based support services.
This is an opportunity to share our personal stories and showcase our staff, volunteers and Solaris Cancer Care in a positive light – a helping hand to those suffering from cancer.
How Can You Help?
This year we have established an online resource – www.solarismws.com.au. We encourage you to visit this page and find out the many ways you can help Solaris. Briefly these include:
- Go Fund Me page – we have set up a direct www.solaristhrive.com.au
- Sending a letter to your local Member of Parliament – Solaris Cancer Care currently receives very little government funding. As part of the campaign we will be trying to gain long-term funding support from the government. You can help us by sending in a letter to your local Member of Parliament. An example letter can be found at www.solarismws.com.au
- Social media – we would be incredibly grateful if you could upload a 30-second video or image sharing your cancer journey or your experience with Solaris Cancer Care, and its importance to the Western Australian community and those who are on their cancer journey, using the hashtag #maywesurvive and including the link to the fundraising page. We will be keeping an eye out for these posts and will be sharing them on the Solaris Cancer Care social media pages. Example scripts can be found at www.solarismws.com.au
- Information sharing – it would be wonderful if you could help share information and spread the word about Solaris Cancer Care with your friends, family, schools, local community groups, and your other networks so we can reach as many people as possible within this four-week period. You will see an example template at www.solarismws.com.au
Some Helpful Information
- With the health care industry stretched for resources due to COVID-19, Solaris Cancer Care needs the support of the WA community more now than ever.
- We are supporting the vulnerable part of our community who are already immune-compromised and fighting for their lives in isolation in both the metropolitan and regional areas.
- Solaris Cancer Care was ahead of the curve when responding to social isolation measures, bringing all essential services online by March 20 in a cost-effective way ensuring continuity of services to our clients.
- Solaris Cancer Care improves the lives of all adult cancer patients, their families and carers, all year round, and with support will continue to do so after COVID-19 is a thing of the past.
- Solaris Cancer Care is able to provide support to the extended West Australian community who may be suffering mental health through their online service provision.
Key Messages – General
Solaris Cancer Care offers free evidence-based therapies that are integrated with mainstream medical treatment, support and information to all people in Western Australia affected by cancer, including carers and family members.
- Solaris Cancer Care drives cancer control that is based on data and research, improving outcomes through safe, coordinated and evidence-based care.
- Solaris Cancer Care is the only organisation in Western Australia providing these vital services and therapies to the many individuals affected by cancer every day.
- Solaris Cancer Care currently provides its services to cancer patients and their carers free of charge, allowing access to all individuals affected by cancer, no matter what their financial situation.
- Solaris Cancer Care provides services to those in all stages of their cancer journey – diagnosis, treatment, recovery, survivorship and palliative care.
Supporting Facts and Figures
- Solaris delivers more than $1.74M worth of health care in complementary therapies free to cancer patients and carers per year
- Solaris Cancer Care provided over 28,000 treatments to cancer patients, carers and families in Western Australia in 2019
- Over 13,300 people diagnosed in WA each year and 3 out of 10 deaths directly caused by cancer in WA
- 5-year survival rate of cancer is 72%.
- 1 in 2 Australian men and women are diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85
- 2025 prediction – more than 17,000 cancer diagnoses in WA
- 2025 prediction – more than 5,000 cancer deaths in WA per year
Further contact information
If you would like to discuss this personally, please contact David Edwards at
david@solariscancercare.org.au
