Dry July 2022: Drop the drink to give your local community a gift
The Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre (CPMCC) Westmead has officially kicked off Dry July for 2022.
The annual fundraiser, which encourages people to go alcohol-free in July, raises invaluable funds each year for people affected by cancer, and supports the many initiatives of the CPMCC.
One such initiative was the donation of dumbbells to the Westmead Hospital X-men eight-week prostate cancer recovery physiotherapy program.
WSLHD senior men’s health physiotherapist Matthew Crawshaw works with men who have prostate cancer and are receiving hormone therapy treatments.
“The hormone therapy treatments reduce testosterone levels which in turn reduces strength, so I run a resistance exercise group which keeps these men from deteriorating physically,” explains Matthew.
We were so very thankful for the Dry July fundraiser last year as it meant the CPMCC could provide dumbbells for this population of patients.
“It allowed the men in the class to progress to more advanced exercises creating better outcomes for their physical and mental health.”
Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, and in 2021, it’s estimated that 18,110 males across the country received a new prostate cancer diagnosis.
One Western Sydney prostate cancer patient said that the physiotherapy program helped him to recover from his prostate cancer and now he’s “feeling alright and healthy”.
“The program warms up your body, activates your heartbeat, eliminates muscle and joint pain, helps you to retain energy and strength and makes you feel healthy,” said the patient (who would like to remain anonymous).
“The dumbbells are incredibly helpful and useful for our clients – thank you Dry July!” exclaimed Matthew.
