Fundraising begins for cancer patient centre

AN INNOVATIVE €1.25 million service offering therapeutic facilities to cancer patients and their families across the south-east is to be funded through voluntary contributions to the public.

The South East Cancer Foundation (SECF) last night embarked on a fundraising drive which aims to raise €1 million by the end of the year to construct a new cancer services centre in Waterford.

A site has already been pledged for the facility — to be called the Solas Centre — by Waterford City Council, but the cost of building and equipping the centre has been put at €1.25 million. The foundation already has €250,000 for the project.

Among events to raise money is a senior hurling match between Waterford and Kilkenny at Walsh Park on May 18.

The new centre will provide services for patients and relatives including counselling, massage, art therapy, relaxation therapies and more.

Fundraising committee chairperson Mel Morgan said yesterday the centre would be “for people who find out that they have cancer and need help to deal with it. Hospitals are pretty hard places and people get very bad news there. They need to go somewhere that’s relaxed, just to get their heads around what they have to deal with”.

The foundation provides some services from a house in Waterford, “and just don’t have the capacity to deal with the number of patients”, said Mr Morgan.

SECF employs full-time staff in its base and up to 30 therapists on a part-time basis, as part of its outreach service. It covers south Tipperary, Kilkenny, Carlow, Waterford and Wexford.

“It’s by the community, for the community,” said Mr Morgan.

SECF chairman Iain Munro, explained: “At present the centre arranges consultations for patients and now needs to double its capacity to serve the growing requirements.”

At last night’s fundraising launch, Dr Mark Rowe spoke of the “vital link” this centre will offer in bridging the gap between cancer patient’s medical treatment and the personal side of dealing with their illness.

Also launched last night is an Alphabet Challenge, where organisations are invited to choose a letter and run an event that starts with that letter.