Blue Dot Concierge
We know many Australians will be diagnosed with one form of cancer or another during their lifetime. We also know how devastating a diagnosis can be and the journey ahead can be difficult to navigate and overwhelming at times. While family and friends may be supportive, imagine a future where you have someone to share the journey with you. It’s helpful to have others you can turn to – like a trusted support volunteer. Someone who will focus on you, not your diagnosis… Welcome to Blue Dot Concierge.
Simply put, it’s a personal support service that looks after many of the practical aspects of your treatment program. Because it’s a stressful time, we can help with some of the more tiring administrative duties, freeing you up to focus on your personal treatment plan and journey, allowing you to rest and recover. This also frees up your family and friends who can focus on providing love and friendship.
We match you with a dedicated support person. They’re all volunteers and we call them our Concierge Butterflies. The butterfly means ‘new beginnings’, the wings of the butterfly will be there to wrap around and nurture you whenever support is needed. When you are ready, they’ll meet with you, either in person or over the phone, to identify and map out milestones on your treatment timeline. Once this is done, they will put together a support road map for your journey.
A typical road map includes things like important dates, special occasions, appointments and practical things like flagging school or public holidays. Your Concierge Butterfly can also support you with researching and sourcing things that make you feel better during treatment. Things like travel arrangements, booking taxis to get you to or from an appointment, organising any supporting therapy appointments, such as remedial massage, myotherapy, physiotherapy or even a wig if your treatment regime means you will lose your hair
We don’t charge for the services our Concierge Butterflies provide. It’s our way of making a positive difference to people who already have a lot on their plate. Blue Dot Concierge is funded entirely through donations to our charity.
Our commitment to you is based on our 4 pillars of: Choice, Ease, Comfort and Support and we have access to an array of products and services to complement your treatment program such as pre-ordering food and organising a cleaner for the days when you need extra help.
Blue Dot Army is continuing to identify where we can advocate for change and we have gained deep insights, including non-medical experiences to date. These insights have been highlighted as a necessity through the early results of interviewing people who have received cancer treatment within the past 2-3 years. The aim of this research is to understand the critical interactions that could be improved or completely redesigned.
Blue Dot Army was mobilised by our own Madam Butterfly Crystal Howrie. Crystal’s own cancer journey and recovery was traumatic. The experience made her determined to provide help and support for other individuals and their families.
During some of her darkest days she imagined a world where assistance would be there when it was needed. It has taken some time for Crystal to put together a team with the right skills to turn her dream to a reality. Blue Dot Concierge is the result.