The Toowoomba group was formed in March 2004, and
we have grown to have just over fifty members on our mailing list.
The meetings start with a ‘meet and greet’ followed by a guest
speaker at around 6pm. Opportunity is given for informal
interaction and discussion over supper following the guest speaker’s
presentation. Some members, who have undergone a range of
prostate cancer treatments, have identified themselves as being
willing to be contacted by newly diagnosed men to discuss their
experiences. Members of this group have been increasingly
called upon to assist in this way throughout the year.
The challenge for 2005 is to further promote the
existence and activities of the group to the community and local
health professionals. Exciting times are afoot with the
impending expansion of cancer treatment services in Toowoomba, which
includes a local radiotherapy unit. This will establish
Toowoomba as a comprehensive cancer treatment centre, accommodating
patients from a large portion of southwest Queensland. This,
along with the launch of recent national awareness campaigns,
further expands the role and importance of an effective group in
Toowoomba. There remains a disparity between the treatment and
survival rates for prostate cancer for men in rural areas as
compared to the city. Local support groups are well positioned
to further promote awareness of the disease in their communities and
assist to close this divide.
