Last Friday, the A Bloody Great Cause foundation and its “Bloody Great Committee” welcomed more than 500 guests to A Bloody Great Night Out! at the stunning Doltone House Darling Island in Pyrmont.
Elegantly dressed in a touch of red, attendees gathered for an unforgettable evening to raise funds for vital blood cancer and clotting disorder research and clinical trials at the Haematology Clinical Research Unit of Concord Repatriation General Hospital.
The support of the Concord community was crucial to the success of the night, which brought together business representatives, patients, families and medical staff.
Together, they celebrated the contributions that patients make to research, benefiting not only themselves but those in future need.
“The community, businesses, patients, their families and all clinical staff have generously supported our fundraising efforts,” said Dr Judith Trotman, from the Haematology Department at Concord Repatriation General Hospital.
“This incredible result offers hope to our blood cancer patients.”
Dr Nicole Wong Doo, Director of the Clinical Research Unit, was also buzzing with pride.
“We are thrilled to have exceeded our fundraising goal by raising over $250,000,” she said.
“Now, more patients with potentially life-threatening blood cancers will be able to participate in our clinical trials.
“By funding additional clinical nurses and a specialist trainee doctor, we will enable our patients to access innovative treatments well before they become publicly available.”
Participating in a clinical trial can be the only hope of recovery for many blood cancer patients, significantly improving their quality of life.
A special thank you was given to every member of the Bloody Great Committee for their tireless efforts in making this crucial initiative possible.
Since 2005, over a thousand blood cancer patients have participated in clinical trials at Concord Hospital.
However, there is always a growing number of patients with leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma in need of help.
Some of them shared their moving stories during the event, highlighting the importance of clinical research for those affected.
Among the special guests was Ben Weeks, a Paralympic athlete, who spoke about his involvement in research conducted by Professor Chen at the ANZAC Medical Research Institute at Concord Hospital.
Other patients, like Ken and Maria, who were pioneering participants in clinical trials for follicular lymphoma, shared how the Australasian Leukaemia Lymphoma Group’s trials saved their lives.
After the heartwarming testimonies, the evening was brought to life by performances from comedian Ben Price and music by the band Party Latte.
