Background and Context:
April 2009,Breast Cancer Club (BCC) established with assisted by National Cancer Hospital in Hanoi with volunteer of breast cancer survivors. 2012 website with the name Breast Cancer Network Vietnam (BCNV) & Pink Tie Club (PTC) continuously established for supply more extending information for other Breast Cancer Patient (BCP) in other provinces in Vietnam (VN)
Aim:
To extend, support, update & more assistant activities for BCP in VN for fighting with cancer & improvement living quality.
Strategy/Tactics:
To assist, inform, consult, encourage, and help for BCP in long-term to more understand on treatment, living & fighting with cancer not only in Hanoi, but also for other BCP and their relative people in VN.
Programme/Policy Process:
Monthly meeting in BCC & PTC: Explain for BCP in their questions; Consulting by cancer doctors and oncologists; Experience discussion & sharing with new cancer comers; Free distribution cancer documents for BCP & their relative; Conduct exercises practice after surgery & during chemotherapy, radiotherapy; Using foods and drinking for BCP; Charity for poor BCP; Relax activities in cancer community.
Support, update in website BCNV: Sharing cancer histories; Introduction new medicines, supplement, consulting treatment, monitoring experiences, working; organize events, workshops, forums; Supply information activities & all other consideration for BCP & others people.
Outcomes/What was learned:
BCP members are increasing monthly. All BCP are very happy to share all thinking in the clubs that they could not talk in living community. BCC, BCNV & PTC become very good forums for BCP & their relatives in update information, positive activities & optimists during cancer treatment as well as improvement living quality. We apply attending 2014 world conference in Australia to more learn, collect, receive knowledge, experience from oncologists, researchers & cancer survivors in the world for continuing communication to fight with cancer in community of VN.