Hayley & Pippa’s brain matters
In what has quickly become one of our proudest stories, Hayley White and Virginia Rea joined Liz to donate $20 000 to the Royal Children’s Hospital, in honour of Pippa Rea.
This donation was made possible thanks to a selfless decision.
Earlier this year, 24-year-old Hayley was diagnosed with a stage 4 Glioblastoma Multiforme brain tumour. Eager to support their loved one, her friends and family proposed a fundraiser. Hayley accepted the fundraiser, but refused to accept the funds.
Instead, she suggested that they go to the most underfunded, desperate fields of research: paediatric brain tumours. Fortunately, one of her friends had completed Connor’s Run the year before, and suggested that the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation would be the perfect organisation to support.
Soon Hayley reached out to Liz. She explained her situation and mentioned that she lived near Warrnambool, just like our first yoga and music therapy recipient, Pippa Rea.
Pippa, a wise, beautiful, spirited 11-year-old, lost her long battle with cancer in March this year. Her tissue and cell line is with the Children’s Cancer Centre Tissue Bank at the Royal Children’s Hospital/Murdoch Research Institute. This tissue is extremely rare and vitally important; it will be used in research at RCH and internationally.
Hayley made it very clear that she wanted any and all funds to be directed to support the RCH research effort, to which we happily obliged.
Due to an enormous effort by a very generous community, over $17 000 was raised! The total was rounded up to include other donations for from the Warrnambool community in memory of Pippa.
Hayley’s benevolent character has lead to this vital donation. We are all genuinely touched by her effort to do such good in the face of something so cruel.
On behalf of the RCD Community, Virginia Rea, Liz Dawes and Pippa Rea…
Thank you, Hayley.