Marking a bittersweet decade!

5 September 2016

Media Release
Marking a bittersweet decade!

This week marks the 10 year anniversary of New Zealand’s only charity solely dedicated to supporting women (and some men), living with incurable breast cancer.

Each year 3000 New Zealanders are delivered the news that they have breast cancer and over 600 of them will die from it.

The Sweet Louise charity touches the lives of over 90% of these people but has largely gone under the radar for the last decade.

The Sweet Louise charity was established in 2006 by Scott Perkins, in memory of his wife Louise Perkins who inspired all of those who knew her, as she lived for ten years with incurable breast cancer.

Perkins knows only too well the unique challenges that come with such a diagnosis;

“Advanced breast cancer doesn’t grab the headlines…Their lives (and that of their family and friends), literally change the moment their diagnosis is communicated. The confusing, at times terrifying, challenges of tests, treatment, doctors and side effects are one dimension. What to do about the bigger questions of one’s mortality and how that will impact family and friends is another. So we created Sweet Louise to help;” says Perkins who continues to have a strong custodial role within the charity as Chairman of Sweet Louise.

Sweet Louise, CEO, Fiona Hatton, says; “A decade ago, 180 women put their hands up immediately to be members of Sweet Louise which reaffirmed that there was a huge gap in the support services available to them. Over the last ten years we have supported close to 2000 members and we are currently touching the lives of 544 members and their families around New Zealand.

“Our members stories and their courage is humbling and uplifting on a daily basis for both myself and my team, many of whom are volunteers;” says Hatton.

Sweet Louise offers a range of tailored, practical services to members throughout New Zealand. These can include gardening, childcare, home help, funding for wigs and mastectomy underwear or whatever is of most help to individual members. The charity also provides regional support groups and trained support coordinators.

During September and October, those wishing to help Sweet Louise continue their incredible work can text “Sweet Louise” to 4662 to donate $3.

Sweet Louise aims to raise $100,000. This money will be used to provide a range of support services such as two additional regional support workers, 20 members’ wigs or 5,000 counselling sessions for members or their immediate families

A fundraising art exhibition will kick off in Auckland on 06 Oct with an auction taking place on 11 October. Also taking place in Auckland on 06-11 October is a photographic exhibition by renowned Wellington artist Nigel Swinn capturing powerful images of ten of the Sweet Louise members. Full details of both the auction and photo exhibition can be found on www.sweetlouise.co.nz.

-Ends-

© Scoop Media