Pretty 'n Pink Breast Cancer Support Hub in Portadown offers practical, financial and emotional support

Support Worker at Pretty ‘n Pink Karen Hoy is the heart of the Portadown hub which opened just two years ago. Herself a breast cancer survivor, she is well placed to help those who are going through this dreadful illness.

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She revealed that anyone in Northern Ireland who is given a breast cancer diagnosis can be referred to the charity and most are referred via the breast care nurses at local hospitals.

Pretty ‘n Pink was founded initially in 2006 by Noleen Adair and is the only registered Breast Cancer Charity in Northern Ireland. Pretty 'n Pink is run by a small team with the help of volunteers from across the province.

All money raised by Pretty ‘n Pink stays within Northern Ireland and is used to provide practical help and support to patients with Breast Cancer and their families.

Karen explained that it was through Noleen’s own cancer journey that she knew exactly what cancer patients needed and the obstacles or issues they had to navigate.

While the Pretty n Pink charity is based at the Park Centre in Belfast, it has grown from strength to strength and two years ago their satellite hub at Church St, Portadown was opened.

Noleen’s sister Leanne realised the need to maintain the charity and saw a need to set up a hub in Portadown due to its connection with Craigavon Hospital and the breast care unit there.

"Our main role is to support breast cancer patients from the moment they are diagnosed until they feel that they no longer need our support. We support them practically, financially and emotionally,” said Karen.

Clients who come to the Pretty ‘n Pink hub in Portadown are all ages, young and not so young, some recently diagnosed, some re-diagnosed and some who are just needing help, support and guidance.

Karen explained that the Portadown hub has a support fund. “We ring patients and find out what their needs are at the time, whether they need the money for shopping, groceries, oil is a big priority or whether it is the heating through to electricity. We would support them that way.

There is also counselling for clients from the hub and they can avail of six counselling sessions. “We also have complementary therapies in the form of reflexology and patients can get six of those as well,” she revealed.

"However when they have six, we would never say bye-bye. We are always here. We are always at the end of the phone even if the patient has finished their six sessions.

"During that time we have built up a lovely relationship with the patients who are coming through, that they feel they can contact us at any time for support and just a chat. If they have questions they don’t sit at home worrying. They can lift the phone and phone Pretty ‘n Pink,” said Karen adding that most of the volunteers or support workers have been through the breast cancer journey.

"We know exactly where the patients are. We know their emotional state. We know exactly what they are going through and we can talk to them from a personal experience which is very important,” she said.

The Pretty ‘n Pink Hub in Portadown is a very welcoming place. “People do find the hub here very peaceful and tranquil.”

"We did start off the Hub with great support from the community and the businesses in Portadown. We had people who volunteered to paint, to do woodwork, people donated doors. No matter what we asked of the local community we were never turned away and never said no.

"The Portadown area really got behind Pretty ‘n Pink to support us and to have this hub here to support the people in the area,” said Karen.

She revealed the office is ‘very busy’, particularly on Tuesdays which is the ‘drop in’ day where anyone can pop in without an appointment for help and support.

On other days, the Hub has complementary therapy and counselling available. It is used every day to help people in the local area.

Karen revealed that most of the money the charity receives to help support the Hub comes from patients who have already come through the support fund. They might do a fundraiser or hold a Coffee Morning. Also several local businesses have taken on Pretty ‘n Pink as their charity.

"The most important thing that Pretty ‘n Pink is very proud of is that every penny we are given, whether through a donation or charity fundraisers, stays in Northern Ireland and goes right back into the community – to the people who need it most,” said Karen.

While October is recognised as Breast Cancer month Pretty ‘n Pink will be focussing on October 14-20. They aim to ask local businesses to take a collection box, to put up some of the Pretty ‘n Pink balloons and to help raise awareness of the charity and what it does in the local community.

"We are very fortunate that many local businesses take on Pretty ‘n Pink the whole year round. This is an extra special drive and are asking all the local businesses to come on board and help support this local charity that supports local people in Northern Ireland,” said Karen.

"We are very lucky that people have reached out to Pretty ‘n Pink and we are very grateful for every support throughout the year,” she said.