New nurse joins McGrath Foundation’s mission

PEOPLE with breast cancer in Geelong and surrounds can now benefit from the expert care and advice of the latest McGrath Breast Care Nurse in the region.

Jess Morgan is based at Barwon Health’s Andrew Love Cancer Centre at University Hospital Geelong, bringing the number of McGrath Breast Care Nurses in Geelong to four and the total across Australia to 200.

Ms Morgan was one of six new nurses recently appointed across Victoria under the initiative started by the McGrath Foundation.

She started working as a nurse in 2004 and has been with Barwon Health Cancer Services since 2012.

Every year, more than 4,700 people in Victoria are diagnosed with breast cancer, and one in seven women in Australia will be diagnosed in their lifetime.

Ms Morgan is among the five of the new nurses who are dedicated to supporting those with metastatic breast cancer, which refers to when breast cancer has spread beyond the primary tumour site of the breast to other parts of the body, with the focus of treatment on prolonging life and ensuring quality of life is maximised.

“That’s where the McGrath Foundation saw a real specialised need,” she said.

“It’s quite different to those who have early breast cancer, where they’re treated with surgery, chemotherapy or hormone therapy, and then they’re essentially discharged from Cancer Services and never come back.

“But the metastatic paitents have a lot of follow-up – they are here in our clinic every six weeks at minimum – and they often have a lot of ongoing side effects from the treatments because they’re having such long treatments; they can be on treatment for 10 years.

“The illness almost turns chronic, rather than it being an acute disease.

“I find the reward from seeing these people achieve such great things – they know they’ve got this disease and they know they won’t be cured of it and eventually it will probably take their life, but they have so much zest for life and they just keep going.

“As the cancer advances, they just keep getting back up and taking on another treatment, and another treatment… it’s quite incredible to work with them.”

Research by the McGrath Foundation shows early access to a McGrath Breast Care Nurse improves both the outcomes and experience of a person with breast cancer.

McGrath Foundation director Tracy Bevan said the nurses provided free, specialised support for families facing breast cancer in Victoria.

“McGrath Breast Care Nurses are experts in breast cancer care and help people with breast cancer navigate the complex medical system, from diagnosis and throughout treatment.

“The appointment of these six new nurses lifts our total nursing workforce to 200 McGrath Breast Care Nurses across Australia, bringing us closer to goal of funding 250 nurses by 2025 as we work towards our mission of ensuring no one misses out on the care of a breast care nurse.”

To contact your nearest McGrath Breast Care Nurse, head to mcgrathfoundation.com.au/get-support/find-a-nurse