Cut For A Cure - Heritage Family

I’ve taken a stand against blood cancer.

Right now over 170,000 Australians are facing the devastating impact of blood cancer and 17 lose their life every single day. 

My immediate family and I naively thought that we were all too young to be personally affected by cancer. But at exactly this time last year, Dad felt sick and tired with what he thought was a cold for two weeks. Following a routine blood test, he received a call less than 24 hours later and was told he had acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), with aggressive chemo scheduled to start in 3 days time. 

Living interstate from my family and especially my Dad during a time when you need your family the most, was one of the hardest things I’ll ever have to go through in my life, but nothing compares to the pain, fear and uncertainty Dad felt while being helpless and so sick. 

It all happened SO quickly and if they didn’t catch it when they did, he was told he wouldn’t have likely lived longer than another 4 weeks. 

One thing I want to really highlight is the importance of donating blood, particularly platelets. Dad relied on an incredible amount of donated blood throughout his treatment, and quite literally wouldn't be here today without the generosity of blood donors. Lifeblood's supplies in Australia are at their lowest levels in almost a decade, and we urgently need more people to step up and donate - particularly young men as we rely solely on you for platelets!!

For a cancer that spreads so rapidly and is so easily undetected, research into AML and the development of more effective treatments remain critically underfunded. 

So, I would love for our/my friends support in raising money for the Leukaemia Foundation, along with my take on the ‘Worlds Greatest Shave’ / donating my hair for a wig to someone who’s living through this struggle.  If you're unable to donate financially, please consider donating blood or platelets. It genuinely saves lives.