Help Us to Support Families Affected by Cancer

Hi!

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and thanks to your generous donations, we have been able to support more children affected by a Cancer diagnosis than ever before.

We believe that no family should have to go through the pain of seeing their child or sibling fight Cancer.

We are here to ease that burden and to help families cope through our cancer support programmes such as our Play Therapy, child counselling service and the CLIMB programme.

These vital programmes help children to understand and process their emotions while learning new skills and tools to cope with the changes to their daily lives.

With your support we can help more children and families living with Cancer.

One mother said 'Purple House kept me sane while my 4 year old daughter was going through chemotherapy for a very rare form of Cancer.  This service is essential for all those touched by cancer' 

Thanks to your support, we were able to welcome 25 children to Purple House for a Summer party in July.  This event gave children an opportunity to forget about their worries for one day and meet other children who understand what they are going through.

Our aim is to ensure that our doors are always open and that families receive the support they need when they really it.

Thanks to your ongoing support, we can achieve this aim together!

Links:

• Visit our website

As we head into the Summer months, we would like to take this opportunity to say Thank You for your amazing support to Purple House Cancer Support.

Thanks to your support, we have been able to help 44 newly diagnosed families so far this year. 

A Cancer diagnosis can turn a family's world upside down and with your help, we are able to give families the tools to cope with the shock of a Cancer diagnosis.

These tools are provided through our free services including Counselling, Our Cancer Support Centre in Bray Co. Wicklow, our complimentary therapy service, our classes, our rehabilation programmes, our survivorship programmes, our hospital transport services and our children's services.

One of the people we support is 14 year old Hannah.  Hannah's dad passed away from Cancer and thanks to your support, Hannah says: 

'I don't really feel comfortable talking about Cancer to my friends.  Purple House gives me a place to talk, deal with it and cope.  It's nice to have that safe place to do it.'

 We recently launched a campaign called 'In It Together' and the aim of the campaign is to highlight the work of Cancer Support Centres in Ireland.

It reminds us that we are all in it together.  You, our supporters, the families we support, our amazing volunteers and the wider Community.  Cancer is a terrible disease, but it has brought us all together, to support each other and to remind us, that we are not alone.

On behalf of everyone at Purple House Cancer Support, thank you for all of your support.  We simply couldn't do it without you.

Links:

• Visit our website

Hi,

Thanks to your amazing support, we are helping more families who are affected by a Cancer diagnosis.

Together, we are in a position to rebuild the lives of families through our Counselling, emotional and mental health support services.  We could not do this without you.

Cancer patient Billy says:

'I have a lot to thank Purple House for, especially for bring me out from where I was. I used to never leave the house, I would only go as far as the gate and gradually I went further and further and Purple House has a lot to do with that. Purple House, thank you all from the bottom of my heart.'

Billy was diagnosed with Squamous cell carcinoma and was very fearful before he came to Purple House.

'Physically, emotionally, my mind couldn’t cope with it and at stages I was one of those people who asked what is this all about? Or I don’t want this anymore. You begin to question whether it’s worth it. You think after three years you should be better.'

'I was nervous coming in the first time. I used to be a confident person, I was a trainer, I was a regional commissioner in the scouts and I could get up in front of people, now I hate walking into a room where there are four or five people. That hasn’t changed, that’s still there. My self-confidence has gone, but from coming here in the beginning, when I wasn’t able to talk, I was still being tube fed, a lot of things have changed since then.'

'I thought that if I came to a Cancer Support Centre, all we would do is talk about Cancer. But in reality Cancer was rarely spoken about except when someone wanted to talk about it and that opened my eyes quite a bit.
Getting involved with the Men’s Group and the garden project where I photographed the project was a major thing for me as I wasn’t able to work, but I had interest in computers and photography, but I hated gardening! I asked if I could stay with the group even though I didn’t like gardening, and I used my time to photograph the group. This gave me something to do, not only there but also when I got home. This was an opener for me and a vital thing for me. I could then return to the group and show the lads the photos I took and it made me feel good.
I also learnt about my entitlements in Purple House, three years down the road, I didn’t know that Carol could get the carers allowance. We were also put in touch with MABS through Purple House. These are the things that are on your mind all the time.'

Thanks to your amazing and generous support, we are able to help many more people like Billy.

So far this year, we have rebuilded the lives of 21 families who have just been diagnosed with Cancer.  We will be with them every step of the way and the doors of Purple House are always open.

Thank you!

Links:

• Purple House website

Hi,

As we approach the Christmas season we want to update you on how you have helped us to support families affected by Cancer.

Christmas can be a difficult time for people affected by a Cancer diagnosis as well as for people who have lost a loved one to Cancer.  We understand the feelings and emotions that certain times of the year can bring.

To help we provide a number of professional support services as well as Counsellling to help families deal with the emotions that Christmas brings.

Over 40,000 people are diagnosed with Cancer each year in Ireland and there are over 170,000 Cancer Survivors.

Thanks to your generous support, we are able to help more families and help to rebuild their lives following a Cancer diagnosis.

Dylan is a 13 year old boy who we support and he says:

'Purple House offered me:

- A place to talk

- A place to cry

- A place to laugh

- A place to relax

But most importantly...

- A place to Hope'

Teenagers like Dylan need Purple House to give them the tools needed to continue fighting following a Cancer diagnosis.

You make that happen.

Thank you.

Links:

• Visit our website

Hello,

Thank you for your amazing support in helping us to support families affected by Cancer. 

Thanks to you support, we have been able to help 19 new families in July alone.  This could not be done without you.

One of the many Services provided at Community level by Purple House is support, care and therapies for children and young adults whose lives are affected by cancer, whether they themselves are ill, or have a parent, sibling or loved one ill. Bereavement support and counselling forms a huge part of this service.

Often we can fail to understand the impact on young children of illness and/or loss in the family. Research has shown that even very young children are affected although they may not grasp the significance of what is happening around them.

There are many ways that children and young adults can be helped within a supportive environment so they feel safe to acknowledge their feelings outside the immediate family or without fear of upsetting other members of their family. We provide an opportunity for informal support through Play and Art Therapies. Professional counselling services, Complimentary therapies/Relaxation sessions, workshops and camps are an effective way of meeting others in similar circumstances. Our Social Outings and events are an integrated part of our overall family services.

Other Family and Home Supports include practical support, home visits providing counselling and therapies for the entire family, hospital transport and statutory entitlements.

The CLIMB programme for children aged 6-12 who are experiencing the impact of a parent’s or other significant adult’s cancer diagnosis was very successful and will be held again.

A client of Purple House says:

Links:

• Find out more about our work