Hundreds helped by new therapy room at Cork cancer support house 

Cork ARC Cancer Support House has officially unveiled a new therapy room at its Cancer Support House on Sarsfield Road.

The room is sponsored by the Emer Casey Foundation and will be used to provide touch therapies to cancer patients and their families. Massage from an experienced massage therapist help to reduce tension, anxiety and pain and improve sleep and circulation. 

The new premises offers much-needed space, privacy and the opportunity for Cork ARC to deliver new and innovative services which have allowed Sarsfield House to become a benchmark centre of excellence for the provision of non-clinical cancer support in Ireland.

“We are very grateful for the support of the Emer Casey Foundation which will facilitate the care of patients with Gynecologic Cancers and their families in Cork ARC," Consultant Medical Oncologist, Professor Seamus O’Reilly, said. “Their donation highlights the impact of collaboration between charities to improve patient supports.” 

The Therapy Room, which has been in operation for nearly 18 months, has already facilitated 165 appointments and in 2020, 191 support activities were provided to service users with ovarian cancer. This figure is at 297 for 2021 to date, with activities including counselling, touch therapies, exercise programmes and support phone calls being facilitated by the new space.

The Emer Casey Foundation is one of Ireland’s leading charities in the area of ovarian cancer, and was set up in 2006 following the death of Emer Casey from Youghal. She died at a young age from ovarian cancer.

The Foundation works to achieve goals of raising funds for ovarian cancer research, raising standards of patient care and raising awareness.

“The Foundation is very pleased to make this connection with Cork ARC and so to significantly increase our assistance to women who have been diagnosed with ovarian and other gynae cancers," Emer’s mother Juliette Casey said: “We are committed to helping raise standards of care for these women and their families and this has to include non-clinical cancer support – something in which we know Cork ARC have a proven track record. 

"We wish them every success with their wonderful new premises.”