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G8 on a mission to support Australian families to fight brain cancer
Freya Lucas
Aug 25, 2022
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One Australian child passes away from brain cancer every nine days. For Jodie Elliott, Centre Manager at G8 Education’s Nurture One Kilmore, this fact is more than just a statistic, with her daughter Hollee losing her battle with the disease in 2018 at just four day old.
Ms Elliott is just one of the 10,000 strong team of G8 Education employees who will be raising funds in August to support the Children’s Brain Cancer Centre – Australia’s only dedicated paediatric brain cancer research centre.Across its 440 centre network, G8 employees will team up with more than 50,000 families to help shift the statistics and fight for better outcomes by participating in the Children’s Hospital Foundation’s 2022 42k Your Way initiative.
“Despite advances in other types of childhood cancer, survival rates for brain cancer have made little progress over the past 30 years. The Children’s Brain Cancer Centre aims to change that,” Children’s Hospital Foundation CEO, Lyndsey Rice said.
“Research is vital in improving survival rates in the future which is why I am so proud that G8 Education has gotten behind the 42k Your Way initiative,” Ms Elliott added.
“You never think it will happen to you, until it’s happening to you. And it’s when you’re thrust into that situation that it’s comforting to know Australia is home to the best research and researchers in the field.”
Brooke Tobias, Centre Manager at G8 Education’s Chelsea World of Learning, is also no stranger to brain cancer, supporting her 23 year old daughter Charlee-Jade who lives the ongoing impact of brain cancer every day.
Charlee-Jade, 20 years of age at the onset of her symptoms, began feeling unwell one day, off balance and with slightly slurred speech.
Within 24 hours of visiting her GP, she was in hospital where she underwent surgery and was diagnosed with medulloblastoma – typically a paediatric brain cancer which doctors believe had laid dormant in Charlee-Jade since birth.
While she has now received the news that there is no evidence of disease, she will never be placed into remission because of the high likelihood of the cancer returning.
Although she is cancer free for now, the impact of treatment and surgery has left her with ataxia, a brain acquired injury, which means she will never walk unaided again and her intellectual function is lower.
Now at home with her family Charlee-Jade is slowly returning to study, and is passionate about raising awareness of brain cancer.
So far, G8 Education has raised more than $125,000 towards its $150,000 target for the Children’s Brain Cancer Centre. To support the fundraising effort please see here.
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