Self care and pampering for cancer patients: Supporting the Mary Potter Complementary Therapy Program

Members of the LLRF Board handing a fundraising cheque to staff at the Mary Potter Hospice.

Members of the board of the Letitia Linke Research Foundation met with the executive team at Mary Potter on Wednesday 22nd of February, to donate funds to support the centre’s Complementary Therapy Program.

The Letitia Linke Research Foundation is a South Australian based not for profit with a focus on increasing awareness of Ovarian Cancer, alongside fundraising for research into an early detection test and targeted treatment for women with Ovarian Cancer.

At the time of the foundation’s major annual fundraiser, Adelaide Silver Style Gala Ball in October of 2022, one of the founding members of the foundation and Ovarian Cancer patient, Kel Pitman, was in palliative care.

“This got me thinking”, said Madelyn Duckmanton, the foundation chair, “about when my late daughter Letitia, who passed away in August 2018 was gravely ill and hospitalised. One of the things that made life just that little more bearable for her was the services provided by the complementary therapy treatment team for patients at Calvary.

The therapists funded by the Complementary Therapy Program provide facials, pedicures, manicures, and massages to cancer patients and their families, both on the wards and in Mary Potter. This little bit of self-care and pampering for both patients and their families at a very distressing and difficult time is priceless.”

Madelyn approached Mary Potter at Calvary to find out how the foundation could support the Complementary Therapy Program, which costs around $500 a day to provide four therapists, and which is offered five days per week.

During the Adelaide Silver Style Gala Ball, the foundation added a mystery live auction item – a gift of day of personal care to patients and their families in palliative care at Calvary or the Mary Potter Hospice.

The response from the attendees was overwhelming and heart-warming, and with the generous support of the people in the room the auction item raised $17,045.00 for the program.

With the sad passing of board member Kel Pittman on the 1st of November 2022, the Letitia Linke Research Foundation is proud to be able to pass these donations on to the Mary Potter Complementary Therapy Program in her memory.