Cork ARC Cancer Support House have unveiled a new Therapy Room sponsored by the Emer Casey Foundation at ARC’s state of the art Cancer Support House on Sarsfield Road

The Emer Casey Foundation pledged their support to Cork ARC Cancer Support House in 2019 by sponsoring a new Therapy Room at the charity’s Cork city premises. The room will be used to provide touch therapies to cancer patients and their families. A gentle touch from an experienced massage therapist can help people get through those tough days. The benefits of massage are multifaceted for many patients and relatives. It helps reduce tension, anxiety and pain and improve sleep and circulation, and the overall feeling of peace and ease can be restored to the body.

Cork ARC launched a major fundraising campaign in 2019 to fund their new state-of-the-art premises at Sarsfield House, in Wilton. The campaign, #Room4ARC, asks the people and business community of Cork to ‘Make Room for Cork ARC’ in their lives, by supporting the €1.5m cost of renovating and fitting out Sarsfield House, a substantial, detached two-storey building in the suburb of Wilton. 

The new premises offer much needed space, privacy and the opportunity for Cork ARC to deliver new and innovative services – which has allowed Sarsfield House to become a benchmark centre of excellence for the provision of non-clinical cancer support in Ireland. 

Commenting on the collaboration, Professor Seamus O’Reilly, Consultant Medical Oncologist said:

We are very grateful for the support of the Emer Casey Foundation which will facilitate the care of patients with Gynecologic Cancers and their families in Cork ARC. Their donation highlights the impact of collaboration between charities to improve patient supports.

The Therapy Room, which has been in operation for nearly 18 months, has already facilitated 165 appointments – and in 2020, 191 support activities were provided to service users with ovarian cancer as their primary diagnosis in the Emer Casey Foundation Therapy Room. This figure is already at 297 for 2021 to date, with activities including counselling, touch therapies, exercise programmes and support phone calls being facilitated by the new space.

The Emer Casey Foundation is one of Ireland’s leading charities in the area of ovarian cancer, and was set up in 2006 following the death of Emer Casey from Youghal at a young age, from ovarian cancer. The Foundation works to achieve three goals of raising funds for ovarian cancer research, raising standards of patient care and raising awareness of this deadly disease. 

In addition to supporting Cork ARC Cancer Support House, the Foundation has most recently part-funded a Cancer Trials Ireland clinical trial into the BRCA gene; funded much needed scanning equipment and part-funded a Senior Physiotherapist, both in the Gynaecological Cancer Care Department of St James’s Hospital, Dublin.

Speaking at the Naming Ceremony for the Emer Casey Foundation Therapy Room at Cork ARC Cancer Support House, Emers mother Juliette Casey said that:

Tthe Foundation is very pleased to make this connection with Cork ARC and so to significantly increase our assistance to women who have been diagnosed with ovarian and other gynae cancers.  We are committed to helping raise standards of care for these women and their families and this has to include non-clinical cancer support – something in which we know Cork ARC have a proven track record.  We wish them every success with their wonderful new premises.

Ovarian cancer is the 6th most commonly diagnosed female cancer in Ireland. Approximately 441 women are diagnosed each year with 279 women losing their lives due to the disease. Ireland ranks among the highest in the world in terms of mortality from ovarian cancer.  Cork ARC offers a range of services and supports for those diagnosed with gynaecological cancers, including ovarian cancer patients and their families from across Munster. Cork ARC have been operating their services from Sarsfield House since September 2019 and the welcoming and caring atmosphere ensures that those who need support in dealing with a cancer diagnosis can avail of individualised care, in a space that is safe and non-clinical.

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