A message to the Think Pink Breast Care Nurse's
Dear Andrea,
Firstly, thank you for having gone miles above and beyond your call of duty, for taking care of me and my family during the most difficult time of our lives. As soon as the diagnosis happened, you made sure my extended medical team knew about my changed health condition.
When I was in hospital, things went a little pear shaped to my family to say the least. When I got home, you did everything in your control to make sure not only myself, but also my husband and children were OK. The word “ok” is so short and simple, but it means the world to someone facing a crisis such as us. Secondly, in the last two months, my world has changed with the second diagnosis; and the world has changed with COVID-19.
Thank goodness my Think Pink world hasn’t really changed!I really like how Think Pink still have the regular sessions via Zoom, even though I haven’t really been attending but it really provides relief for our mental health, including mine, knowing it’s there when I am up to it.
Well Done Andrea and the Think Pink team! And, may I save the best for last: You and Ros are there for me as always! Take care and best wishes, Nicole
To both the Pilates Facilitator & the Think Pink Team
Dear Michelle & Think Pink
Being a scuba diving instructor – with a lot of physical exercise in my job, there has been almost no exercise from me since my double mastectomy and Diep Flap stomach removal – in March this year. Everything just seemed too hard or too scary to do, and I worried I’ll exacerbate my pain areas.
After attending a Zoom class with Michelle this morning, I sat on the floor and cried at the fact I have finally found something I am able to do and that brought feelings of achievement. It’s made me feels so much better about getting back into some form of fitness for myself.
Michelle was amazing in her descriptions and advice in the exercises, and I will def be back for the next class.
Thank you so much to her and the time she places into helping us and guide us through Pilates in her classes, and thank you to the hard-working staff at Think Pink who allow this to happen. Hannah
To both the wonderful staff & inspiring members - THANK YOU Think Pink!
Many thanks for allowing me to participate in the Bloke’s Support Group zoom meeting tonight. Although I pointed it out to Sal on the calendar and said that I wish I’d had this a few months ago, I wasn’t sure what I would get out of it. What did I get out of it, heaps. I know the pain and worries we went through were as real as anyone else’s but it made me realise how “lucky “?!, if you can call it lucky, we were that Sal had an early diagnosis and mostly her treatment went well with no chemo. She’s making a good recovery although she did have a bit of a setback with an infection, but that is good now. She’s loving her zoom classes and getting so much out of them, I can tell when I get home that she’s had a good class.
At first I felt like I didn’t belong there as my wife is now relatively well and starting to take control of her life again. I suppose I felt guilty for those reasons in the company of the other amazing people sharing what they,and their families, had and are going through. For most of the meeting I sat in awe listening to them, how they dealt with problems and their freedom to express sympathy and offer sound advice. By the end I was shedding a few tears and not really wanting it to end.
I’m happy to make my details available to anyone, whether an individual or the group as we have been or are on this roller coaster that no one wants a ticket on and one thing I’ve learnt in past months is that every journey is different and help can come from any source, but talking is the best way. As we used say to our eldest son when he was going through a rough patch years ago, if you can’t talk to us, family or friends go and talk to the drunk on the park bench, at least you are talking about it. A pity his old man didn’t remember that a couple of times lately. But pretty good now and the odd tear and nights like tonight make a difference. Sal getting stronger helps too. We were pretty good before but now we are even more in tune and appreciate each other more.
Looking forward to next month too. Thanks and see you then, Max
I can’t thank you fabulous souls at Think Pink nearly enough for providing such wonderful support for us as we travel our journeys with cancer. The variety of programs offered means there is something to aid & interest everyone. New ideas and knowledge are always helpful & joining in is always a really positive experience for me. It’s good being divided into dedicated groups for some of the days – it keeps the info relevant. I know the others in my group really understand ‘the road’.
Knowing support is there for the asking is gold. Mary
We asked clients to tell us what they felt was most beneficial to them from participating in our programs, here are just some of the feedback we received …
Art Therapy
Meditation
Pilates
Reflexology
“This is my second session and I wish to say that Sandy has been so wonderfully supportive, emphatic and very professional in her approach”
“The session was extraordinary. Sandra is a gifted therapist, I am so grateful that I could participate”
“Expression through the art but also companionship”
“So good to release some tension”
“I felt the positivity of life overtaking the darkness I had felt with cancer”
“The visualisation process – it was a surprising and empowering moment that I was not expecting”
“Meditating with a group, even remotely is wonderful”
“Breathing; being in the moment”
“Lovely caring people”
“Feeling relaxed and reinvigorated”
“Have some control of my state of mind”
“It is a class for everyone, no matter what age or experience”
“Motivating; uplifting; physically challenging”
“Clear instructions; enthusiasm to get back to strengthening core muscles; encouragement to continue”
“Being left with very positive feelings”
“Having a lovely cheery instructor encouraging me along”
“Safe at home/convenience”
“Helpful in times of anxiety”
“Methods to control or support my emotions; socialising; relaxation”
“I could see it clearly demonstrated and could practise it”
“Informative; nurturing; feeling good”
“It is not complicated; easy to administer; new strategies to try to alleviate some symptoms”
“Great to see how helpful it is to recovering clients”
Second Hope
Supporting Blokes
Tai Chi
Yoga
“Support, understanding and able to open up about our situation”
“Friendship, caring and belonging”
“Able to ask questions with no judgement, knowledge is power”
“Many others going through same but different experiences, camaraderie”
“Honesty; caring; inclusive”
“Knowing that Think Pink is offering valuable information in an accessible format”
“Contact with blokes in similar situations”
“Friendship & knowledge”
“Men talking to men”
“Importance of looking after self”
“How to open up to people”
“Ability to talk things through”
“It was absolutely great”
“Ongoing support from the group”
“Keeping connected with friends”
“Beautiful sequence and the peace I feel afterwards”
“Keeping in touch with Think Pink”
“Catching up with Helen and the regular girls”
“Light exercises”
“Clear explanations; demonstration; gentle exercises and flow”
“More relaxed feeling in body and mind”
“Stretch; meditation, social”
“Breathing techniques; relaxation”
“I attend every week and the facilitator has excellent knowledge on the subject matter”
“Satisfaction that I have been exercising purposefully”