By JESSE GRAHAM
WHEN a barbecue raising money for brain cancer research fires up next week, Mount Evelyn’s Anna Griffiths will remember her brother.
Ms Griffith, who has organised the community barbecue at the Mount Evelyn Community Link, knows personally the pain the disease can bring to families.
Her brother, Davyd Gartlan, died of brain cancer eight years ago, after living with the disease for 19 years.
But Davyd’s story is a rarity – many people don’t live to see their fifth year after being diagnosed with the disease, which has one of the highest mortalities among cancers.
“Statistically, it was an amazing amount of time, and we were so blessed to spend that time with him,“ Ms Griffiths said.
“He lived his life to the full, but he left us too soon.“
The barbecue has been organised with the Mount Evelyn Community House and the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation, which advocates for funding and research on the disease.
Brain cancer exists in three types: primary, which begins in the brain; metastatic, which begins elsewhere and spreads to the brain; and paediatric, which occurs in children.
Inside the primary category of brain cancers, giloblastoma multiforme (GBM), astrocytoma, medulloblastoma and ependymoma are just some of the different types of tumours that exist, and even benign tumours can be life-threatening when in vital areas.
According to the foundation, brain cancer has a very high mortality rate; roughly two in 10 people diagnosed survive for more than five years.
To top this off, survival rates have only improved by two per cent between 1982-’87 and 2006-’10, and Ms Griffith said awareness of the disease was relatively low.
“It’s an unknown story and it’s an under-funded cancer,” she said.
“Brain cancer has one of the highest mortality rates and is one of the least funded worldwide, which is really quite bad.”
Ms Griffith, who is a volunteer with the foundation, organises social nights for the community house, and said the foundation had been searching for people to raise awareness of the disease.
“We thought this was a fantastic way to get people together as a support network and to raise awareness,” she said.
Ms Griffith said that many people had connected with the cause and the Mount Evelyn event, with some people travelling five hours to come to the fund-raiser.
The event will have attractions for people of all ages, with children’s entertainment, face painting and a craft table, along with origami paper crane making and the Mount Evelyn Men’s Shed serving up sausages on the barbecue.
The paper crane is the symbol of the organisation, and, according to a Japanese legend, anyone able to fold a thousand of the paper cranes will be granted a wish.
With weather looking mild as of deadline, Ms Griffith said about 50-100 people were expected to be at the event, but that they hoped members of the community would come out and far exceed that.
All profits from the event will be donated to the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation.
For more information on the event, call Mount Evelyn Community House on 9736 1457.
For more information about brain cancer, or to donate to the cause, visit www.curebaincancer.org.au.
