By Tania Martin
DAWN Jones no longer has to trek more than 52 kilometres for specialised medical treatment.
The Monbulk cancer survivor has a condition called lymphodimia, which leads to the swelling of limbs and is often a by-product of cancer. It is caused by an accumulation of lymphatic fluid.
Mrs Jones has been campaigning for a local lymphodimia clinic since that particular service at the Ranges Community Health Service (RCHS) in Belgrave was discontinued in 2007.
But now an outpatient clinic opening at the Angliss Hospital in Upper Ferntree Gully has eliminated the need for Mrs Jones to travel to East Melbourne.
In June last year, The Mail reported how she had to travel to the Mercy Hospital for treatment and how she was also placed on a four-month waiting list and had no way of knowing how far her condition had progressed.
Mrs Jones said her condition first started more than 12 years ago after she had radio and chemotherapy for breast cancer.
After the removal of lymphoids from her left armpit, Mrs Jones noticed her arm was starting to swell. She was shocked when diagnosed with lymphodimia, a condition she had never heard of until then.
Mrs Jones contacted The Mail after waiting more than eight months for the clinic to be reinstated. At the time RCHS told The Mail it had been unable to find anyone with the right qualifications to run the clinic.
The Angliss Hospital opened its clinic last July after a report identified the growing need.
It offers a range of services from lymphatic drainage, the fitting of garments to reduce the swelling and physiotherapy.
Program director Michael Butler said the service was made possible with the help of clinical nurse specialist Maria Stirling, who runs the clinic and has had to undergo specialised training for the job.
Mrs Jones said it was fantastic that there was now a service available close to home. But she said it wasn’t just about her.
“It’s for all those other women who live in the area and in the Yarra Valley and need the treatment,” she said.
Mrs Jones is trying to spread the word about the clinic knowing there are many others in the same position as her.
