Possibly the most widely known Zonta service project in Austalia, the Zonta Breast Care Cushion is actually the brain child of a local District 24 Zontian, Ann Selle.
A member of the Zonta Club of Botany Bay, Ann designed the cushion in 1994 after hearing from a friend about the difficulty of recovering from breast surgery.
Since then, thousands of women in New South Wales and around Australia have benefited from this project - about 46,500 cushions have been distributed up to early 2008.
That's enough to fill a typical three bedroom family home from floor to ceiling!
The Zonta Breast Care Cushion aids recovery by allowing the woman to sit, sleep and rest comfortably, as well as by preventing hurt from bumps while walking around and any discomfort from wearing seatbelts.
(About 2% of breast cancers occur in men, and we also provide the cushion to men on request as they are often not offered by the hospital.)
Many Clubs are assisted in producing the Zonta Breast Care Cushion by people in their local community. This might include local high school students, textile students at a local college, work for the dole trainees, nursing home residents or many other 'friends of Zonta' who lend their hands in support of our work. |
