This article is from page 14 of the 2012-02-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
MORE than € 73,000 was raised in Clare last year for Daffodil Day, as demand for the Irish Cancer Society’s free services also increased in the county. As the event’s 25th birthday approaches, the Irish Cancer Society continues to grow its support in Clare, as 733 more Clare people were diagnosed with the disease in last year.
In 2011, € 23,890 worth of financial aid was provided to people in County Clare, with services also increased.
The amount of nightcare provided by specialist cancer nurses in Clare increased from 98 nights in 2010 to 159 nights in 2011.
These nurses provided 8,110 nights of care to over 2,000 families nationally in 2011, which was an increase from 7,187 nights in 2010.
Specialist cancer nurses also supported 22,120 callers to the National Cancer Helpline (Freefone 1800 200 700) – 167 of these calls were from people in County Clare.
In 2011, the Irish Cancer Society also funded 13 Oncology Liaison Nurses in hospitals across the country to the value of € 497,943. One of these nurses is employed at the Mid Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, the centre for cancer treatment in Clare.
Travel2Care grants of € 356,966 were administered to patients across Ireland, with € 11,995 specifically going to patients in County Clare. Travel2Care is a transportation assistance fund which has been made available by the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) to patients travelling for cancer treatment and is administered by the Irish Cancer Society.
The organisation also distributed more than 688,266 cancer information booklets and fact sheets to people concerned about cancer across the country in 2011; 7,575 booklets and fact sheets were sent to people in the county. While there were 259 registered Daffodil Day supporters in Clare, many more assisted them in selling daffodils and gathering donations on the day.
John McCormack, CEO, Irish Can- cer Society said, “This year marks the 25th birthday of Daffodil Day, and, since it began in 1988, we have seen a massive increase in the demand for our services due to the ever increasing incidence of cancer.
“The latest figures from the NCRI show that there were 733 cases of cancer diagnosed in Clare last year. Now, more than ever, the services we provide are crucial.
“The money we raise on Daffodil Day goes directly to support people with cancer and their families at every stage of the cancer journey,” he said.