Donate items for cancer patients

CARE for Cancer Foundation is appealing to the community to help with its sanitary pack drive.

The Foundation, which was formed in 2016, is making up hampers to distribute to cancer patients who are still living at home.

According to Sumaya Hassen from Care for Cancer Foundation, the organisation has been assisting patients since 2012, transporting patients from home to Albert Luthuli Hospital for treatment, assisting with medication as well as food hampers. The first sanitary pack drive was done in 2016, where 200 hampers were distributed. She said all the members of the foundation have lost someone to cancer, and the cause is close to their hearts.

“Patients living at home are in need of items such as napkins and items to keep them clean, and these hampers really make a difference to their budget,” she said.

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Hampers are made up of napkins, aqueous cream, Dettol, soap, a sponge, toothbrush and toothpaste, Vaseline, cotton buds and powder.

Sumaya said the community can help by either buying a raffle ticket for R20, with the money going towards purchasing items, could sponsor R100 for a hamper or donate individual items. The raffle prize is a dinner at Canvas Grill to the value of R1 000 and the draw will be on 31 March.

“We aim to put together 1 000 hampers this year to distribute to patients living at home as well as care centres in KZN. Some of these patients are widows and have no family and are living at home with stage 3 or 4 cancer. These bare necessities really help them,” she said.

Sumaya said any extra money raised will go towards a mammogram drive and the foundation is partnering with a local radiographer to perform free mammograms for underprivileged women who need them done, and those who have a family history of breast cancer. She said the foundation had started this project last October, and aimed to do between 40 to 50 mammograms this year. She appealed to local companies to sponsor this initiative.

If you want to get involved by either purchasing a raffle ticket, sponsoring a hamper or donating items, contact Sumaya at admin@careforcancer.org.za.

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