Pretty n Pink Breast Cancer Charity is the leading Breast Cancer Charity for Northern Ireland

Pretty n Pink Breast Cancer Charity is the leading Breast Cancer Charity for Northern Ireland and the only registered Breast Cancer Charity who provides financial support and other support services to breast cancer patients and their families. All money raised stays within Northern Ireland is used to provide support to people all across Northern Ireland.

The Charity was founded in 2006 by Noleen Adair who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 at the young age of 22. Noleen passed away in June 2014. This year the Charity celebrated their 18th anniversary and remembered Noleen on her 10-year anniversary.

Noleen made it her mission to help breast cancer patients, women and men and their families in Northern Ireland. Noleen knew how important it was to educate and raise awareness of breast cancer.

The Charity operates a Support Fund to which patients can apply for financial help. This financial help can be utilised for home heating, utilities, wigs, mastectomy under, clothes and other essential items that may be required at the time. The Charity also provides counselling and complementary therapies and covers all of Northern Ireland.

Since 2014 the Charity has been managed by Noleen’s Sister Leanne Rooney, Noleen’s family and friends together with a small team from across province providing much needed support and assistance. Everyone involved with the Charity either has their own experience or own diagnosis of breast cancer. This is what makes us stand out from the rest and our patients and their families feel understood and safe with us.

In August this year, to celebrate our amazing milestone and acknowledge Noleen 10 years on, we launched our Charity partnership with the Canal Court Hotel and the CC Spa.

The charity provides a financial support fund, and we knew from the support fund applications that there has been an increase in the number of applications from the Newry area. From 2023 the Charity has provided over £20,000 from the support fund to the Newry area.

We were aware that only few those patients from Newry who availed of the therapies and Counselling were travelling to us in Belfast, Portadown and Banbridge. As the waiting list increased, we knew we had to provide these services closer to home. That’s when I spoke to Vicki. After our initial conversation we were both on the same page and Vicki and her team wanted to help support these ladies and we offered 4 different treatments to patients. All the staff at the spa are trained to work with cancer patients and one of the therapists within the Spa has also had her own diagnosis of breast cancer. I left knowing our patients would be in the best hands.

These services have been operating for a few months now and so far, it has worked great for everyone. We have also had some carers use the services which means they can come with their relative/friend, and it makes it a bit more special.

In the few months this service has been operating, the Charity will have spent nearly £17,000 on complementary therapies. This shows how great the need is in the area. A total of nearly £37,000 of support services has been put back into the Newry area. We are a self-funded charity and all this money is from fundraising and donations.

As we move forward with our Charity partnership, we will be introducing new services which will be undertaken at the Canal Court. As a Charity we listen to the patients’ needs and requirements, these services are what is required by the patients.

• Counselling/emotional support. A diagnosis can be stressful and traumatic and counselling will help patients and carers navigate this diagnosis.
• Lymphatic drainage via massage and reflexology.
• Lymphedema can be extremely painful and debilitating. This is a treatment we have been carrying out in Belfast and Portadown and with regular treatments patients will feel great benefit from this including better movement and less pain.
• Acupuncture for pain relief – this will help with side effects of treatment/surgery and/or hormone treatment.
• Acupuncture for menopause – many patients will be put into early menopause or go through menopause from hormone treatment they receive. This treatment will l help manage side effects.
• Scar therapy – this will help relieve pain, itchiness and tightness associated with breast cancer scars.

Workshops:-

• How to become a better version of you
• A new you with menopause
• Self-empowerment techniques to overcome pain
• Empowering techniques to overcome stress and anxiety

These workshops will create safe places, emotional support groups and build great relationships helping everyone on their breast cancer journey.

Without the help and support of the Canal Court Hotel and Spa these additional services would not be available and will provide much needed support to patients in the Newry area.

At present we do not have a waiting list for these services. Patients can self-refer and a referral form can be downloaded from our website www.prettynpink.org. The breast care team in the Southern Trust can complete a referral also. A referral form will require to be signed by the patient and a health care professional. The diagnosis must be within the last 12-18 months to avail of these services.

Source: Newry Times

To avail of these services, you must complete a referral form. A referral form will require to be signed by the patient and a health care professional. The diagnosis must be within the last 12-18 months to avail of these services.