OUR DONORS
We sincerely thank the many wonderful individuals, businesses and organisations who donated this year to drive forward our vital clinical trials research so that more lives can be saved from breast cancer.
We welcomed thousands of new supporters and acknowledged the generosity of hundreds of donors who reached over 20 years of continued giving to save and improve the lives of those impacted by breast cancer. We also thank donors who through their commitment each month have contributed over half a million dollars this year to sustain our research funding.
The inaugural ‘For Our Mums’ Giving Day was held in May which saw our community come together to raise an incredible $226,223 in just 24 hours.
This special day was held to support our mums currently facing breast cancer, and in honour of all the mums we’ve sadly lost to this disease. Through the generosity of our community, these funds will help to find kinder and effective treatments for mums like Gemma.
Gemma was only 27 when she received her breast cancer diagnosis. She faced the heartbreaking reality that the treatment needed to save her life could also take away her dream of being a mum.
But thanks to breakthroughs made through our clinical trials, she was able to have a medication which helped protect her fertility when undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Today she is alive and well and has a beautiful daughter Audrey, and is expecting her second child this year.
Gemma, pictured above with her family, is grateful for clinical trials research which helped to save her life and give her back the chance to be a mum.
In response to our Tax Appeal, supporters gave an incredible $422,776 to support our OPTIMA and EXPERT clinical trials.
These two clinical trials are investigating whether genomic testing can indicate which patients may safely avoid chemotherapy (OPTIMA) or radiotherapy (EXPERT) without compromising their survival.
The outcomes from this research could impact the futures of many women who could safely avoid treatments that can cause long-term and debilitating side effects. Naveena generously shared her story in this Appeal, and spoke of the side effects she has endured from her treatment including excruciating pain in her joints and the nerve damage which caused shooting pain down her arms and legs.
But the most devastating side effect for Naveena was the brain fog that affected her thinking and memory so much so that she struggled to return to work full time.
Naveena’s life changed forever following her diagnosis of breast cancer. Pictured here with her pet dog, she is thankful for the treatments she received but hopes others can safely avoid the side effects she still experiences.
At Christmas time, our supporters responded positively to our new OLIO clinical trial donating $360,000 so that this groundbreaking research could commence.
Dr Stephen Luen, Study Chair for OLIO, said:
“I’m so grateful to the supporters who clearly have such a deep care for women facing breast cancer and have been so generous with their donations. This could never have happened without you.”
OLIO is trialling a new targeted treatment for young women with hormone receptor (HR) positive, HER2 negative breast cancer. The aim of this research is to target and eliminate cancer cells in the breast and save the lives of these patients who have poor outcomes because their breast cancer often comes back.
This could have an significant impact on women like 42-year-old mum Tamara, who was diagnosed after discovering a 9.5cm lump in her breast. Tamara, like other young premenopausal women with this type of breast cancer, receive more treatments including extensive chemotherapy which for Tamara has significantly impacted her life:
“All of my treatments succeeded but have come with side effects. During radiation, my surgical scars opened and became infected. I have hyperthyroidism. I’ve had a bone effusion for osteoporosis. The bane of my existence is having a frozen shoulder. The first thing that I feel when I wake up is all my bones aching. I feel like I’m 90 years old.”
Tamara is incredibly grateful for our amazing community of supporters:
“Because of you, we can have hope for improved treatments and chance of survival. It means the world to me, and all women like me, to know that we’re not in this alone.”
Our supporters are helping to find targeted and effective treatments for young women like Tamara pictured with her family above.
We remember all those who have lost their lives to breast cancer this year.
Our sincere condolences go to the families of our supporters who have sadly passed away during the year too. We are sincerely grateful for donations received in memory of loved ones and acknowledge our shared commitment so that no more lives are cut short by breast cancer.
Several kind and generous people left a special legacy for future generations by leaving a gift in their will to Breast Cancer Trials.
We acknowledge and thank the following people for their gifts which will advance breast cancer research for the benefit of future generations:
The Late Julie Baines
The Late Trish Charles
The Late John Downs
The Late Audrey Farmer
The Late Arunee Geoghegan
The Late Melva Koop
The Late Margaret Marshall
The Late Lesley Nott
The Late Thomas Schell
The Late Francis Smith
The Late Beverley Spinks
The Late Julie Stroud
The Late Iris Wheeler
The Late Maureen White