It’s been almost a year since Carrie Bickmore made headlines by donning a beanie at the Logies.
It wasn’t a fashion statement – The Project host used her Gold Logie win to draw attention to the need for greater awareness and funding to treat brain cancer, the disease responsible for killing her husband Greg Lange in 2010.
The speech encouraged a social media movement, #Beanies4BrainCancer and a few months later, Bickmore launched a brain cancer awareness foundation of the same name.
Now, the foundation has just hit a major milestone, donating $250,000 to the Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuroscience Foundation, news Bickmore proudly shared on Instagram.
Alongside the news Bickmore shared the story of Jeremie, a 26 year old man who lost his battle with brain cancer in February.
Currently the only way of diagnosing and monitoring brain cancer tumours is through MRI, which has limitations in giving doctors information about what is happening in the cells within the tumour.
The $250,000 grant will go towards a project to develop a simple and cheap blood test to diagnose brain cancer, that experts describe as a ‘game changer’. (Watch: Carrie Bickmore announced the milestone on The Project. Post continues after video.)
The disease is currently responsible for killing more people under 40 than any other form of cancer and kills more Australian children than any other disease. Eight out of 10 sufferers will die from it within five years of diagnosis.
But while it’s a significant achievement, Bickmore still has a way to go to reach her ultimate goal of $1 million to further research and improve treatment and recovery.
The foundation was created after the incredible response Bickmore received from people after her Logies speech.
“Everyday I get emails from families whose loved ones have brain cancer, from foundations wanting me to help them and I thought, just how can I help everyone?”, Bickmore told The Project.(Post continues after gallery.)
Carrie Bickmore on Instagram
“If I set up a foundation, my aim is to raise as much money as I can. I am going to start with a million dollars and then I can give it to researchers, who are doing great work, and hopefully they can find some more effective treatments and maybe, maybe one day they can find a cure.”
Lange was just 34 years old when he passed away from brain cancer after battling the disease for nearly 10 years, five of which were during his marriage to Bickmore.
Now with partner Chris Walker and the mother of Evie and Ollie, Bickmore told Australian Women’s Weekly that she’s reminded of Lange everyday.
“Greg is a part of my life everyday. I look at Ollie and I see Greg. I love that when I look at Ollie I see Greg in him because it means he is always present, he’s always there,” she said.
For more information or to donate, head to carriesbeanies4braincancer.
Have you or a loved one been affected by brain cancer?