The Hunter River Times

Members of Singleton Beef and Land Management gathered at Singleton’s Sundial to give a donation of $1000 to the Mark Hughes Foundation.

The group was formed in 1986 from likeminded, rural individuals and has been a valuable tool for its members and the wider community, hosting field and education days to share information about farming and agriculture.

Their donation to the Mark Hughes Foundation was particularly meaningful to the group, having members who have had their own experiences with brain cancer.

“Some of our group members have been affected by brain cancer and we’ve heard a lot about the Mark Hughes Foundation and the good work they do, so we decided that we felt they were worthy of a donation to help their research,” member Leonie Ball told The Hunter River Times.

Jan Walsh has been a member of the Beef group for 25 years, but this donation was particularly significant to her, with her son, Aidan Walsh, having previously been diagnosed with brain cancer.

Aidan was in his 30’ and seemingly well when he had a seizure at work, being taken to the John Hunter Hospital and having a CAT scan which revealed he had four brain tumours.

At the time he and his wife Libby had two children and were six months pregnant with their youngest daughter.

After two brain surgeries, two rounds of chemotherapy and one round of radiation into the brain, Aidan is slowly but surely recovering.

To Jan, the help of the Mark Hughes foundation was invaluable in Aidan’s care, praising his dedicated Mark Hughes Foundation Brain Cancer Care Co-ordinator, a position created due to the lack of a cohesive body handling brain cancer patient treatment, also acting as a familiar face through the tough journey that brain cancer presents.  

“When Aidan was diagnosed, his Brain Cancer Care Coordinator took our phone numbers and dealt with everything, organising blood tests, liaising with doctors, answering any questions or finding answers, she is really the overarching person who is with you the entire journey,” said Jan.

The group also mentioned the late Penny Nagle as another motivator for the donation, with Penny having been invaluable to the Singleton Beef and Land Management, planning several trips for them in her role as Singleton’s local travel consultant before her passing from brain cancer late last year.

10 years on from his own diagnosis with brain cancer, Kurri Kurri born Mark Hughes remains dedicated to finding a cure and is grateful for the support he receives from groups like the Singleton Beef and Land Management.

“It’s been one hell of a journey but since the start these communities have got right behind us and the Singleton Beef and Land Management group has dug deep to support our cause. I know the Singleton community knows brain cancer all too well and the devastating effects of it with Penny Nagle’s beautiful family being torn apart by brain cancer, but we’ve just got to keep working together to find those answers,” Mark said.

Having raised over $24 million since the foundation’s inception in 2014 and brain cancer survival rates increasing by only 1 per cent in the past 30 years, Mark stresses the importance of keeping up research efforts and improving the outcomes for those who diagnosed with the life altering illness.

“We’ve just got to keep driving this research, continue our aggressive approach and find the answers for us, for myself and for Aidan. If you can buy a beanie, host a morning tea or do an event, every bit counts and all the money that you put in goes to the right place in research and nurses,” Mark said.

To learn more about brain cancer or donate to the Mark Hughes Foundation, head to https://markhughesfoundation.com.au/