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Ruth Robinson, Regular Giver of the Month

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“My dear friend and colleague, Andrew “Sid” Sidoli had fair skin and freckles. While he loved surfing, he always tried to look after his skin by putting on sunscreen and a shirt or wetsuit but it still wasn’t enough in the end.

He was on holidays with his sister, Rebecca, when she noticed an abnormality on his back and told him he needed to get it checked.

The lesion turned out to be melanoma. But from the day of his diagnosis Andrew fought it with everything he had and remained optimistic. One day when I saw him in the corridor at work he told me ‘I’ve been given a 10% chance of survival, and while I have a 10% chance, I have hope.’

Sid was larger than life, he always had a cheeky smile on his face and everyone at work loved and respected him. He made time for everyone and was really supportive when my Mum passed away. He encouraged me, and I think most people in his life, to get our skin checked regularly.

He later became bedridden when the melanoma spread to his lungs and brain. His doctor, the well-known, Charlie Teo did everything he could for him, but at just 40 years old my beautiful friend sadly lost his battle.

Unfortunately, Sid was amongst many of my work colleagues who had been affected by various cancer types over the years. I believe the only way we will fight this dreaded disease is through research, which is why I choose to support the Australian Cancer Research Foundation.

I used to donate whenever I had spare money, which was about twice a year, but not long after Sid passed I signed up to be a regular giver. I realised that if I donated on a monthly basis it would help researcher’s fast track discoveries and ultimately save more lives. I donate just over $1 a day each month so it barely affects my daily budget.

I have seen how advancements in cancer research can really help people. My brother in law, Noel Hughes is now battling liver cancer and the oral chemotherapy tablets he takes are far less traumatic for him than those that were available years earlier.

If you can afford just $1 a day, please consider supporting the ACRF, cancer could affect anyone of us and at any time.”

– Ruth Robinson, Regular Giver of the Month

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Making a Difference in Michael’s Name

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“My family has been touched by cancer a few times, but the two that hurt the most were the loss of my mother and then my husband.

My mother was recently retired when she told me she had found a lump in her breast. After lots of convincing, my sisters and I finally got her to visit the doctor. What she hadn’t told us was that she had first noticed the lump six months ago and by then it had grown extremely large. This was 20 years ago and there weren’t many options available to her at the time. After fighting through 15 months of gruelling treatment she sadly lost her battle with breast cancer.

Years later, Michael, my wonderful husband and the father of our four sons was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at 54 years old. We were really shocked as he had always enjoyed good health and was not showing any symptoms other than an itchy feeling under the skin. Our doctor however, did not suspect good news and the blood test proved it.

Michael endured a lot to try and beat the cancer. He went through one and a half rounds of chemo and underwent a very high risk operation called a Whipple procedure. Thankfully he made it through but it was a long, hard road to recovery after the extensive surgery.

Thanks to the expertise of the doctors and their teams things began to look more positive, but we were only able to spend an extra 22 months with Michael before he passed away at 56 years old.

I donate in Michael’s name each month and hope that my little bit will make a difference so we can find a cure for all cancers. I chose to support the Australian Cancer Research Foundation because it’s a non-profit organisation that awards grants to the most ground-breaking research teams in Australia. I know my donations will help cancer researchers to continue fast-tracking discoveries for the future.”

– Jannelle Scerri, Regular Giver of the Month

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Hope from Heartache: The Dillon Family Honour Their Beloved Grandfathers

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“Unfortunately both my husband Travis and I suddenly lost our fathers to cancer within two and a half years of each other.

Both of these wonderful men had only recently retired and were looking forward to making plans for their futures. They were in their mid-sixties and had worked hard in the agricultural industry all their lives.

The impact of losing a parent was made even worse knowing our young children would no longer get to enjoy such precious times with their adored Poppa and Grandpa.

It has now been over six years since I lost my Dad and not a day goes by where I don’t think of him. I miss him dearly, and every now and then I’ll pick up the phone to call him before remembering that it’s not possible anymore.

Following my Dad’s funeral, Travis and I wanted to do something positive to help prevent others from suffering the same devastating loss. We decided the best way to do this was to support the hard working cancer research scientists trying to find cures for this cruel disease.

As we had lost our fathers to different types of cancer – kidney and prostate, we looked for a foundation that researches cures for all cancers. We chose the ACRF as they are committed to funding research in Australia that aims to end all cancers.

We now make a contribution every month in memory of our fathers. We’re happy to do our part in the fight against cancer and hope that in the future more children will be able to grow up experiencing the joy of spending time with their grandparents.

We are proud to be ACRF supporters and every month we receive updates and eagerly read about the ground-breaking discoveries being made. We believe that without cancer research many more families will be deprived of valuable time with their loved ones.

While there is nothing that can be done in our sad situation, we take comfort in the precious memories we made with our fathers and hold out hope for families in the future.”

– Sally and Travis Dillon

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Race day in memory of a much loved Grandma

Cancer Fundraising and donations in memoryAfter the loss of her Grandma to brain cancer, Kylie Lampard, wanted to do something to honour her memory. She chose to organise a Race Day for family and close friends to celebrate the life of her Grandma but also give to charity at the same time through a raffle.

On the day 100 people attended the event at Morphettville Racecourse. It was a beautiful day which honoured Kylie’s Grandma with a namesake race, the Joan McCulloch Fashion Handicap as Race 7. The CEO of Morphettville Racecourse sponsored the race which was a great success.

The raffle was conducted thanks to great sponsors who donated prizes – thanks to SAJC, ABS brakes, Angelakis, Groove Haircutters, Croydon Foodland, Alsco, Little Chez Pizza and Festival Theatre for your assistance in raising over $1,000 for cancer research. Continue reading “Race day in memory of a much loved Grandma”