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Happy New Year to you all!
We hope you have all had a lovely Christmas and New Year and managed to spend some time relaxing and recharging after what has been another very challenging year for a lot of us.
With 2022 behind us its a great time to reflect on our achievements and see just how far we have come. Its also a great time to look ahead at the things we want to be able to achieve in the year ahead.
What are you proud of achieving this past year? Big or small, take time to reflect and be proud of what you have achieved this year. If you haven’t quite got there, don't worry, add it to 2023 and make that your focus for the year ahead.
Should you find yourself experiencing any lingering side effects from treatment and would like help achieving goals around this please reach out as we are here to help support and guide you.
We are really proud to say that we have been able to achieve our 2022 goals: 1. Invest in evidence based technology to assess and monitor our patients rehabilitation In a worldwide clinical trial published in 2020, it was found that with early detection and intervention, 92% of patients did not progress to chronic lymphoedema.
As some of you know we purchased a SOZO machine which was used in the above study. The SOZO is able to calculate a L-Dex score (measurement of fluid change in the limb) via a 60 seconds non invasive test. This has been vital for us when detecting early signs of lymphoedema and preventing progression.
2. Launch an early intervention and prevention program for breast cancer related lymphoedema Since launching in May we have had more than a 20 women access our early intervention program. This year we will continue to work with other breast centers to ensure everyone has access to early detection of cancer related lymphoedema using SOZO.
3. Expand our business and move to a new clinic space Our move has enhanced our ability to work collaboratively with our referrers and we are loving working with the team at St Marks Breast Center. The new location is central, has plenty of parking with easy access to the motorway for our patients and the feedback so far has all been positive.
4. Fundraise for PINC and STEEL This year our team of friends and family participated in Dry July and helped to raise over $3,000 for our clinic. This money will go to fund those who need financial assistance for cancer rehabilitation.
5. Launch the ALR website If you haven't already we would be so grateful if you could visit our website https://www.aucklandlymph.co.nz/ and like us on our social media pages
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/auckland_lymph_rehab/ Face Book https://www.facebook.com/aucklandlymph
This will really help increase our reach so we can ensure those going through cancer treatments are receiving reliable information and evidence based rehabilitation.
What is install for ALR in 2023?
Shannon has commenced maternity leave and is awaiting the arrival or her little bundle within the next week which is very exciting!
We are incredibly lucky to have Sheenagh Cardis join our team who will be working Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings.
Sheenagh is Senior Physiotherapist, who is also a PINC accredited therapist with both pilates and lymphoedema experience. She is originally from South Africa and moved to NZ 5 years ago. She has recently returned from her beautiful wedding in Cape Town with her kiwi husband James.
We plan to continue to fundraise for PINC and STEEL to ensure no one misses out on cancer rehabilitation. We will also will be collaborating with the Head and Neck Cancer Support Group Aotearoa to increase the funding available for cancer rehab in this group.
We will be sending monthly blogs on various topics such as: strategies for managing fatigue, reducing the risk of lymphoedema, exercise pre, during and post cancer treatment, strategies for managing trismus, pelvic floor dysfunction, genital swelling and continence.
If there is a topic you would like us to provide education on please let us know as we want this blog to serve our patients and add to the tool box of strategies you have to enhance your health and wellness. Should you wish to opt out of the blog please unsubscribe at the bottom of the page.
Here is to a bright and joyful 2023!
Warmest wishes,
Shannon and Nadia
"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow." —Albert Einstein
