McGrath nurse to care for breast cancer patients in Narrabri

A new McGrath Breast Care nurse in the district is ready to support breast cancer patients in Narrabri Shire communities after recently being appointed to the position.

Sally Laurie has spent most of her nursing career caring for patients in cancer-related settings and having grown up in the North West, she is familiar with the local area.

“I know where Narrabri is, I know where Wee Waa is, I know where Pilliga is … I know that tyranny of distance and how far people need to travel,” she said.

“There is no explanation needed about how far north or west of Moree or Narrabri they live – it’s not at all foreign to me.”

Mrs Laurie is also no stranger to McGrath, having worked as a Breast Care nurse in the local area in an acting capacity in 2015.

“The best thing so far about being a McGrath Breast Care nurse is the look of relief on my patient’s faces when I meet them for the first time knowing there is someone locally to help navigate the system and support them every step of the way,” she said.

“It’s incredibly important to me that every person in my district has access to a local Breast Care nurse from diagnosis without the need to travel long distances to see one.”

Mrs Laurie is particularly pleased to work as the Breast Care nurse at a time when awareness and funds are being raised locally to support the McGrath Foundation.

The inaugural Pink Up Namoi campaign held late last year successfully raised $106,000 towards the Breast Care nurse program.

Organisers are again staging Pink Up this month, with a night under the stars being held this Saturday at The Exchange, Narrabri.

The role of a specialist McGrath Breast Care nurse is to support patients from diagnosis and throughout treatment, both early and metastatic breast cancers.

For Mrs Laurie, being a source of support and guidance is what drives her every day in the role, and she looks forward to supporting local families.

Mrs Laurie’s appointment has been welcomed by McGrath Foundation ambassador and director Tracy Bevan.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Sally to the McGrath Breast Care nurse role,” she said.

“The local communities in the area are incredible supporters of the McGrath Foundation, helping us work towards our goal of funding 250 nurses by 2025.

“With one in five people expected to miss out on the care of a Breast Care nurse this year, we have a big job to do in placing more nurses like Sally in communities around Australia, as we work towards our mission of ensuring no one goes without care.”

McGrath Breast Care nurses are available to help anyone experiencing breast cancer, free of charge and without a doctor’s referral.

The McGrath Foundation funds 185 nurses in communities all around Australia and their mission is to ensure that no one goes through breast cancer without the care of a breast care nurse.

To work towards this, the McGrath Foundation is committed to funding 250 McGrath Breast Care nurses by 2025.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer for women in Australia; the risk of diagnosis in their lifetime is 1 in 7. More than 200 men are expected to be diagnosed this year.