Galway charity helps put a cost on caring

You can’t really put a price on the invaluable work of charities or support groups, but you can pinpoint the cost of cancer care provided by a community-based cancer support service – thanks to a study of one such Galway group which has just been published.

East Galway & Midlands Cancer Support is a voluntary service based in Ballinasloe and established in 2009 by Jacqueline and Michael Daly, in response to a gap in support they both experienced first-hand through their respective cancer battles.

A team of economists and researchers from UCC, funded by Breakthrough Cancer Research, produced this first ever study of the cost of cancer care provided by a community-based cancer support service, by studying the EGMCS over a seven-month period.

Support centres, such as the EGMCS, are made possible primarily through fundraising, charitable donations and volunteers, but this study estimated the total economic cost of providing the services at €313,744 annually – or €1,138 per person per year.

East Galway and Midlands Cancer Support Centre had its roots in 2005, when Jacqueline Daly was diagnosed with malignant melanoma.

Her husband Mike was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010, and for the second time they experienced the loneliness and isolation that comes with such a diagnosis.

Following his father’s diagnosis, their son Séamus organised a fundraiser in his school to raise awareness of prostate cancer as well as producing a DVD about the aftercare associated with prostate cancer.

The family then began to talk more openly about their experiences and soon set about organising a support group to help and support other cancer patients and their families.

And the three of them remain as dedicated to their Support Centre today as ever, where there are now over 200 weekly users.

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