BEANIES to help battle BRAIN CANCER Staff across Royal North Shore Hospital donned on their beanies recently to raise awareness of a special cause close to their hearts.
By next year, it is expected the number of people diagnosed with brain cancer will be 653 and it will account for 3.1 per cent of all cancer deaths in NSW. Given the rate of brain cancer deaths in NSW has remained unchanged over the past 10 years, RNSH’s Director of Radiation Oncology and Director of The Brain Cancer Group charity Associate Professor Michael Back
The Brain Cancer Group is a charity set up at RNSH in 2000 by neurosurgeons Drs Raymond Cook and Michael Biggs to improve patient outcomes and work towards finding a cure for the devastating disease.
said staff were keen to get behind the charity and help promote brain cancer awareness and how vital research is to improving patient outcomes. “We are committed to research that aims to improve patient outcomes and to work towards making an impact,” he said. Compared to breast and prostate cancers which have a five year survival rate of 89.4 per cent and 95.2 per cent respectively, brain cancer is 27.7 per cent. If you wish to support the cause, you can find out how to donate by visiting braincancergroup.com.au/ make-a-donation
RNSH staff wearing their Brain Cancer Group beanies
family fundraises and donates Cuddle Cot to RNSH NICU Parents Kyriae and Adam Simpson have donated a Cuddle Cot to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at RNSH after an extensive fundraising effort. Bears of Hope Cuddle Cots are refrigerated
The immense effort raised over $70,000 for Bears of Hope. On top of donating Cuddle Cots to various hospitals, Adam said the funds will be used to provide support, counselling and gift packs for grieving families so they don’t leave the hospital empty handed. “The gift pack contained a bear so when we left the hospital we weren’t leaving empty- handed,” he said.
cots that enable parents to spend an additional 24 hours with a child who has passed away before leaving the hospital. Kyriae and Adam Simpson sadly lost their daughter Poppy during Kyriae’s pregnancy in March 2020. As a tribute to Poppy on what would have been her second birthday, Kyriae and Adam started a fundraiser to help parents and families going through a similar situation. The Simpson’s family initial goal was to raise $6,500 to donate one Cuddle Cot in honour of their daughter, but after a rally of support from community members, Kyriae and Adam had 80 people on board for fundraising. The fundraiser had people coming together in Adam’s gym to undertake a 24 hour cycle. “We had 80 people work in teams of five riding for 24 hours in my gym,” Adam said. “Each rider would ride for 60 minutes before swapping with a team mate. Everyone did 4.48 hours of riding over 24 hours. “Most people slept in the gym or in their cars outside of the gym.”
The Simpson family with the donated Cuddle Cot
NSLHDNEWS | ISSUE 14| 1 AUGUST 2022
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