A donation of $10,000 was made by local woman Liza White to the Muswellbrook District Health Service oncology unit this week.

The funds were raised at the recent Cocktails by Pink Candlelight event held by Mrs White and strongly supported by the local            community. 

The fabulous night of generosity and launch of ‘The Real Housewives of Scone’ calendar made the $10,000 possible to be donated, and a further donation will be made to the National Breast Cancer Foundation once calendar sales conclude.

The donation will be used to fund a new therapy that has been trialled and released to allow scalp cooling for chemotherapy patients through cold caps.

Muswellbrook District Health Service provides the only chemotherapy unit outside of Newcastle and Tamworth with three chairs that are used three days from Tuesday to Thursday every week by patients from right across the Hunter region. 

The new therapy works by using chilled water through a cap to restrict blood flow to the area so that the chemotherapy drugs are not as toxic to the hair follicle and prevent severe hair loss during treatment. 

Mrs White said she knows there are a lot of local women who receive treatment at Muswellbrook and she believes it is important to donate close to home. 

She said she had spoken to a friend about the new therapy only some time ago, so it is really amazing that it is the chosen recipient for the donation. 

“I think it’s perfect,” she said. 

Muswellbrook District Health Service Chemotherapy Unit team leader and cancer care coordinator Tracey Leatherday said she was absolutely thrilled to accept the donation. 

“It is very much appreciated and will go a long way to funding the new therapy so patients can keep their hair during treatment.”