Contacting health organisations & gaining support

Author: Pamela Bousejean

It has been a busy time for me since the conference in Adelaide and I have spent some time contacting health organisations and other relevant individuals about Ur the Cure (my brother says I put the "Pam" in "Spam")! This networking is hopefully planting the seed to spread the Ur the Cure message through these organisations and their networks and it has so far been received positively. I have been in contact with the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) and for a start they have added the Ur the Cure website link to the ABMDR website, which was great news and a small positive step forward! I am hoping to meet with them in the coming months to further discuss how we can work together to make some positive changes. I have also contacted the CEO of the Leukaemia Foundation and their research and advocacy person and I'm hoping to hear back from them soon. Lymphoma Australia is another organisation I've been in contact with plus the Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand (I am having an article published in their newsletter)!

And as word spreads I am also beginning to get contacted by many patients who are struggling to find their match who are keen to help the cause. I will also be attending a fundraiser at the end of the month -  Scott No Cancer. Scott and his family are raising money to afford a special cancer drug. Scott is having a bone marrow transplant (his sister was a match) and the family are keen to promote awareness about the bone marrow registry. So Ur the Cure will be there on the night to provide information and I will also be doing a short talk explaining the importance of joining the registry.

I have also worked on several Facebook campaigns and support has been growing through social media too. I also created some educational and inspirational videos, and I'm also currently building a resources page for the website in the hope that this empowers and supports others to help spread the message. Amongst all of this, I am also working out a structure to make Ur the Cure sustainable and of course to do that means I will need some funding! Things are getting busier which is a great sign!