A whole bunch of soft, pink pillows were made and gathered by a group of ladies, who again made it their mission to provide a helping hand to breast cancer survivors.
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As part of an annual project, Zonta Club Botany Bay donated more than 1000 breast cancer support cushions to patients receiving treatment at hospitals.
The materials were funded by Club Central Hurstville, and it took a small army of volunteers to sew and stuff the cushions.
St George and Sutherland Medical Research Foundation Chief Executive Pam Brown recently joined volunteers to produce the cushions.
She helped deliver 30 of the cushions to St George Hospital's Breast Cancer Nurse Tanya, who said they will go straight to patients who need them.
About 40 cushions are also ready to be delivered to Royal Women's Hospital at Randwick.
Zonta Botany Bay is a service club for women who aim to build a better world for women. Its volunteers also make 'exit baskets' for women leaving refuges, and mentor young women.
Breast cushions are designed for women who have undergone surgery for breast cancer.
In 1994, the Zonta Club developed the breast care cushion. The idea came from a club member who had been given a curved cushion by a friend following a partial mastectomy and found that the cushion provided comfort while sleeping.
A second club member, Ann Selle, designed the Zonta cushion with the input of nursing staff. The making and distribution of these cushions then became a service project for the club. The cushions are wrapped in cellophane and presented as a gift to women from women with no fee for this service.
Because of their acceptance by patients recovering from breast surgery, the breast care cushion became a National Service Project of Zonta Clubs throughout Australia in 2001.
About 10,000 cushions are distributed each year by Zonta clubs across Australia. They are produced by members of the community ranging from school girls, prisoners, work for the dole groups, retired women, nursing home residents and Zonta members.
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