Charity’s 21st B’day

Breast cancer charity celebrates its 21st birthday

This month marks the 21st birthday of Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer, a charity set up by Veronica Kumeta of Stoke Heath, Bromsgrove in 2000 following the breast cancer diagnosis of one of her closest friends.

Veronica initially started raising money to buy much needed equipment for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham that the NHS couldn’t afford, raising more than £1.5 million over the past 20 years.

LFBC is entirely financially reliant upon donations, fundraising and funding to deliver critical care and support in the community through its BreastMates Central drop in centre and well woman choir to financial support and guidance, including a bursary created to ease hardship with small grants for essentials.

The charity provides support group services both offline and online, free of charge for anyone with a breast cancer diagnosis. Whether you have just received a diagnosis, are currently undergoing treatment or are in remission LFBC is there for you.

Its latest initiative is “A hug in a bag.” After asking ladies who have gone through chemotherapy what things they wished they could have had with them on those long days receiving treatment, they suggested lip balms, books, lap blanket for warmth, a cushion, notepad and pen and hand cream.

LFBC is currently funding these items, putting them inside bags hand-made by crafters and posting them to patients, as well as dropping as many as 25 a time to chemotherapy units at hospitals across the West Midlands, Worcestershire and Staffordshire.

These have been immensely popular and with the recent closures of several breast cancer havens across the region the demand has become overwhelming, a distraction to those having to face treatment alone without loved ones by their side due to covid restrictions and providing comfort and care for an isolated solitary time in hospital.

If you would like to support this ongoing initiative so LFBC can continue to provide a hug in a bag and can help in any way with donations of items or funding, visit lfbc.org.uk

You can also follow the charity on Facebook at Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer or BreastMates Central.