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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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Alison’s Story

Regular charity donations

“I support the ACRF in honour of my Mum, Jean, who died from a brain tumour (Glioblastoma) in June 2011. I miss Mum every day.

I miss her even more after giving birth to twin daughters a couple of years ago. My mum was a wonderful grandmother – she would have been so excited at the thought of having twin grandchildren!

While I know it is a cliche, Mum was the glue that held my family together. Her loss was devastating.

She fought through two other cancers – breast cancer and melanoma – before passing from Glioblastoma. While Mum’s medical teams were skilled and dedicated, her treatment options for brain cancer were limited, and the very poor prognosis for this disease had not changed for a long time.

I work in health care, and know that more research is desperately needed and it is vitally important for medical researchers to be able to plan their work, with the security of regular financial input from donors. Every amount, no matter how modest, adds up to providing that security to researchers.

When I investigated various options for donating, the ACRF stood out – they seemed so dedicated to putting each dollar to the best possible use, and clearly had a great deal of respect for donations. After being a monthly giver for a short time, I decided to include the ACRF in my will.

The image I have included was taken on my wedding day in May 2010, 5 months before Mum became unwell.”

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David takes 400 thousand steps for cancer research

It was a cold morning in Canberra when ACRF super-fundraiser departed on what would be one of the most gruelling journeys of his life.

His solo walk back to his home in the lower Blue Mountains brought back old injuries and painful memories, as he took step after step – some 400 thousand of them – in honour of his late wife Danielle.

But it also brought him hope.

Continue reading “David takes 400 thousand steps for cancer research”

July is Regular Giving Month!

Regular Giving Month is an opportunity for us to celebrate our regular givers, both new and long-standing, for their incredible commitment to world-class cancer research in Australia.

Through their regular charity donations, this amazing group of people have together raised more than $1.3 million!

For this, and for their ongoing support, we will be forever grateful:  they are a vital part of our work, ensuring we are able to fund the high-quality, world-class research grant applications we receive each and every year. Together, they are speeding up new treatments and cures for cancer.

One of our newest regular givers, Stephen Holyoak, joined our Partner in the Cure program because his life has been changed forever by this terrible disease.

“After losing my mum to cancer far too young, I felt it was time to try and help those who are suffering today and tomorrow.”

“I have been unfortunate to also see very close friends lose family members to this horrible disease.”

Continue reading “July is Regular Giving Month!”

New Year’s Resolutions give hope to charity

New Year's Resolutions give hope to charityMaking New Year’s Resolutions is a wonderful tradition promoting self-improvement, transition and promise for the future.

We’ve put together a short list of some of the most popular Resolutions for the New Year, but don’t be distracted if you think you’ve seen them before. Our little twist to these gems is that every single one of them can contribute to the fight against cancer!

  1. Get fit: Community fun runs, marathons and ocean swims provide a fantastic fitness goal to work towards this year, and there’s so many to choose from! You could get a team together or take on the challenge yourself, and be sure to set a fundraising target to make your training efforts even more inspirational.
  2. See the sights: Are you planning an adventure abroad? Is the Great Wall of China, the Vietnamese countryside, or the mountain ranges of Nepal calling? Well in 2013, the ACRF would be thrilled to help you organise the trip of a lifetime in conjunction with a cancer fundraising target. We can also offer two Australian-based adventures that focus on professional development and work-place leadership!
    Continue reading “New Year’s Resolutions give hope to charity”

Our Regular Givers are Partners in the Cure

Luke Hespanhol makes monthly donations to cancer researchJuly is Regular Giving month – a time when passionate supporters are encouraged to kick-start the new financial year by signing up to make monthly donations to cancer research.

These generous Australians who make regular charity donations to the ACRF are part of a VIP group of supporters known as Partners in the Cure. They are characterised by their ongoing commitment to our work and their belief that together, a group of dedicated donors can make a BIG difference to the lives of cancer patients and their families.

I would like to sign up as a Regular Giver today.

This July, we celebrate our Partners in the Cure.

We have gathered a number of stories for you, told to us first-hand by some of our Partners in the Cure. Luciano Hespanhol has been a regular giver since 2007 – and in his words “It is important to me that my donation is done regularly because at any given time I can remind myself that I am preventing other people from heading down the same no-through road.”

“When I was 17, my grandmother was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and in order for her to be looked after, my mother brought her to live with us.

“Although the prognosis seemed positive at the start, chemotherapy and radiotherapy quickly destroyed my once cheerful grandma. Continue reading “Our Regular Givers are Partners in the Cure”