This year, Flinders Foundation is asking Dry July participants to help contribute to enhancing the care and comfort of cancer patients in the Flinders Infusion Suite.

Imagine undergoing chemotherapy and facing the added stress of multiple attempts at vein access. This is where your support comes in. By going dry this July, you can help fund an essential handheld ultrasound machine, specifically designed to assist with difficult venous access.

“This technology will make the vein location process much smoother, reducing patient anxiety, discomfort, and the need for multiple cannulation attempts,” says Joan Schumacher, Nurse Unit Manager of the Flinders Infusion Suite and Noarlunga Infusion Centre.

Kylie,(pictured above) who is being treated for stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, knows firsthand the challenges of accessing veins during chemotherapy sessions.

"Even before I had cancer and started chemotherapy, my veins were awful," Kylie shares. "I’m a person with very tricky veins."

"The nurses are highly skilled but with veins like mine it can still be difficult…it makes you nervous each time you come for treatment."

When Kylie first began chemotherapy, some eight years ago, it was administered by cannula, but her veins were so tricky to access she soon moved to a PICC line, and later a port, which she continues to have today.

Kylie emphasises the importance of the ultrasound machine - which she’s had the benefit of trialling elsewhere during CT scans with great success.

"With the ultrasound, it’s so much easier, quicker, and less painful and really one less thing to worry about,” she says.

“I’m so pleased people who have tricky veins like me will be able to use this kind of technology to make chemotherapy that bit more comfortable."

The benefits of this ultrasound machine extend beyond vein location. It reduces patient anxiety, lowers infection risks, and saves time for both patients and staff. With over 11,000 episodes of care per year, the Flinders Infusion Suite serves a significant number of patients, representing various cancers and conditions.

Your commitment to Dry July directly supports the efforts to bring an ultrasound machine to the Flinders Infusion Suite to help people like Kylie. Whether you give up alcohol, swap out other indulgences, or simply spread the word, every contribution matters.

"Knowing the nurse will be able to find the vein is a huge stress relief for patients,” adds Joan.

“They're going through so much already; they don't need multiple attempts to put a cannula in – this will be one less stress in their day."