Whānau and trust donate Sozo machine

22/08/2022

A whānau who had lost their wife and mother a year ago to lymphoedema have donated, along with the Rotorua Breast Cancer Trust, a Sozo machine to Te Whatu Ora Lakes.

Mother of six, Angela Thrupp was remembered in a service blessing the machine on Friday at Rotorua Hospital.

Her husband, Leighton spoke of the strength and love she gave to their family.

“Unfortunately we lost Angela but there wasn’t a day where she didn’t stop fighting.

"She was the most positive person in the world. Always had a purpose in life to keep living it to the fullest,” he said.

Leighton thanked the many hospital staff who had been with them throughout Angela’s journey.

“[When she passed] we had heaps of people asking, ‘What can we do?’ We had everything we needed.”

After talking with the Rotorua Breast Cancer Trust, they decided to fundraise for a Sozo machine which gives a precise snapshot of fluid and tissue composition of the development and progression of lymphoedema.

The trust also contributed funds to the machine.

Clinical nurse and breast cancer specialist Amanda Keen, who was a part of Angela's journey, said Angela loved Leighton and their children "with all her heart", she said at the presentation.

"Angela had the ability to make you feel noticed and important ... Her enthusiasm for people and life was boundless.

Chief Operating Officer, Alan Wilson thanked the whānau and the trust for their generous donation.

“It shows your strength and love as a whānau, that you are here today, along with the Rotorua Breast Cancer Trust, gifting this Sozo machine that will help so many others,” Alan said.

“From now onwards, people who receive or are living with a breast cancer diagnosis in the Lakes district have the opportunity to access accurate screening for the development and progression of lymphoedema which is a major issue for a large number of women and occasionally men having breast cancer.

"Lymphoedema is hard to assess, can be very disabling and for some patients, accurate assessment by Sozo can be life-saving.”