A soft place to land for cancer patients

Six years ago, Chadia Scheel received the unexpected and life-changing diagnosis of Chronic Lymphatic Leukaemia (CLL), a rare form of cancer that develops and progresses relatively slowly. The 47-year-old mother from Fremantle, WA, initially felt overwhelmed and devastated.

“I then got up and decided that, rather than feeling sorry for myself, I would enjoy the rest of my life instead. My father also had CLL and lived for six years after diagnosis so I thought to myself ‘six years – I can do this’, ” she said.

“I felt completely vulnerable and knew I had a long journey ahead but was lucky to stumble across haematologist Dr Joske – founder of SolarisCare Cancer Support Centres and a believer in alternative therapies to complement traditional cancer treatments.”

Dr David Joske established the SolarisCare Foundation as “a soft place to land” for cancer patients, offering massages, reflexology, acupuncture and a range of other support services to help people cope physically and emotionally with the effects of cancer treatment.

As Dr Joske explains, “When everything is under a cloud – jobs, friendships, relationships, lifestyle and indeed life itself – we ask people diagnosed with cancer to negotiate hospital mazes, a whole new language, learn something about biology and then to decide on treatment.”

The free complementary therapies are professionally supervised, evidence-based and fully integrated with mainstream cancer treatments. SolarisCare encourages and supports communication between health care professionals, complementary therapists and people with cancer with the aim of bridging the gap of understanding that often exists between these groups.

Through SolarisCare therapies, in addition to her cancer treatments, Chadia has been able to maintain a feeling of overall wellbeing.

“My biggest revelation was that it’s not just the physical that I need to heal, as the success and progress of my treatments are correlated to my mental health,” she said.

“Being diagnosed with a terminal illness may limit your lifespan, but it really provokes you to stop living life asleep and experience true beauty and joy in every moment, making every minute more worthwhile than ever before.”

Making the SolarisCare vision a reality

This year, the SolarisCare Foundation celebrates its ten-year anniversary, having supported 35,000 cancer patients and carers in this time and expanded to four cancer support centres, including two regional centres.

The Red Sky Ride, the organisation’s largest funding contributor, has helped to make Dr Joske’s vision a reality. Moving into its fifth year, the event involves a group of dedicated cyclists riding 1,000 kilometres through Western Australia’s south-west and wheatbelt in the blistering summer heat. Motivated by both a love of cycling and a desire to help those whose lives are touched by cancer, the group has raised more than $1 million for SolarisCare. In 2012, their ride is dedicated to Chadia Scheel.

Chadia admires the passion that the Red Sky Riders have in giving so much of themselves and enduring tough conditions to support SolarisCare. At the same time, her positive outlook gives the cyclists inspiration as they prepares for the demanding ride in February next year, knowing that the challenge of the event pales in comparison to what Chadia and others living with cancer face every day.

“I have had three close family members who have suffered from cancer and have seen first hand the impact it can have so I’m excited for the opportunity to do my bit – it is the least that I can do,” cyclist Sonya Debenham said.

“On top of the beautiful scenery and the sense of achievement the ride brings, it is a chance to get behind SolarisCare’s work, which is extremely valuable in providing support to Chadia and many others.”

To support SolarisCare, visit www.redskyride.com.au or www.solariscare.org.au