Ambassador Baxter Holt takes the field again tonight for the Sydney Thunder against the Melbourne Stars, in the national BBL T20 Series.
Baxter has returned to the field, and is at his brilliant best after a twelve month rehabilitation to overcome a serious back injury.
He is not only one of the serious rising stars in the game of cricket, but an ambassador for CRBF, he is always helping with both sarcoma awareness and lifting the spirits of sarcoma patients when called upon. He is also one of the kindest and most considerate young men you would walk the earth to meet.
We wish Baxter and the Sydney Thunder every success in his game tonight.
Congratulations to Vince Umbers, who completed a full 42.2km marathon on Saturday!
Vince ran this insane distance in honour of his dear friend, and CRBF Patient Advocate, Jack Gibson who was part of Vince’s support crew on the day.
On top of the rigorous training regime, Vince has been working overtime raising money, and has topped over $5000, all of which is heading straight to sarcoma research!
Getting behind Vince in this amazing effort
From all at CRBF, we would like to pass on our heartfelt thanks to Vince, for the hours of training and hard work that went into this event, to each of his outstanding support team on the day, and to the profound generosity of Vince’s supporters, for their donations.
The man himself – Vince Umbers
All monies raised from Vince’s runs will go directly to the IL-23 sarcoma specific sub-study, at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research which is scheduled to commence early in 2021.
Monday 9 November, marked the launch of the National Oncology Alliance (NOA) Vision 20-30, with a three hour conference hosting major stakeholders, including hosting leading Australian oncologists and researchers, together with presentations from cancer patients and families.
It was three hours that provided hope for the future for those living with a cancer diagnosis, with a particular emphasis on those living with a rare cancer diagnosis. Vision 20-30 will place the magnifying glass on the current systems, and how they fit within the global context, with particular alignment to cell therapies, genomics and personalised therapeutics.
With support from the Minderoo Foundation, the Federal Government, and Rare Cancers Australia, Vision 20-30 will form the basis for advancing cancer in Australia.
Sunday saw the running of the 2020 City to Surf virtual event.
While this year, we were unable to run as part of a large team as we have done in past years, CRBF was fortunate to have teams competing in many parts of Sydney.
A project harnessing modified immune cells to target cancers will see Sydney leading innovative cancer therapies.
The University of Sydney and Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) have announced the execution of an agreement with biopharmaceutical company, Biosceptre (BCIQ), to establish a new research program on CAR-T cell immunotherapy, at Westmead, Western Sydney.
To read more about this remarkable research, and Dr Patrick Schlegel, the German paediatric oncologist, and leader in CAR-T technology, who will be leading the Sydney research team, press the link below
A team of scientists led by Western Australian based scientist Dr. Emel Rothzerg – School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of The University of Western Australia, in Perth (Australia) and the Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science in Nedlands (Australia), reports an association between osteosarcoma and abnormal alternative splicing of the leptin receptor overlapping transcript (LEPROT).
Nova Radio personality Michael “Wippa” Wipfli is set to appear on the 2021 Celebrity Apprentice, naming CRBF his charity of choice.
Wippa was a remarkable friend to Cooper and has continued to perpetuate his legacy through all he does for CRBF, and more significantly, for those without a voice in the sarcoma community.
The Celebrity Apprentice will air early in 2021, with British business magnate and politician, Lord Alan Sugar to take the place of Mark Bouris.
Over 950 children and adolescents will be diagnosed with cancer each year in Australia.
One in five of these childhood cancers will be a sarcoma.
Each week, three children adolescents will die from cnacer.
Tow in five sarcoma patients will die from their disease. This increases if the cancer has spread upon diagnosis.
Childhood cancer survivors have a much higher risk of developing other malignancies later in life.
One in five sarcoma survivors will go on to develop a subsequent cancer or another sarcoma within ten years.
This month we shine the spotlight on the outstanding work of all cancer researchers, clinicians, dedicated nursing staff, treating hospitals and not for profits, whose focus is finding a cure through innovative clinical studies, improved standards of treatment and care, and funding research for childhood cancer.
It is also a time when we remember those children undergoing treatment, those yet to be diagnosed, and those who have tragically lost their lives to cancer in this country.
Sarcoma affects all ages, however it hits our young disproportionately hard.
As a dedicated sarcoma organisation, we wish to specifically highlight the outstanding work of Dr Emmy Fleuren, Senior Scientist, Zero Childhood Cancer Personalised Medicine Programme, Children’s Cancer Institute, whose research surrounding sarcoma specific high level tumour analysis stands to revolutionise the way we approach treatment for sarcoma in the future. Dr Fleuren joins her esteemed colleagues at the CCIA working tirelessly to advance a cure for all childhood cancers.
To hear more about Dr Fleuren’s remarkable Phosphoproteomics programme in our recent Let’s Talk About Sarcoma podcast series, click the link below.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all contributors working toward a cure for all childhood cancers.
Today we mark the passing of a man so very special to many cancer patients over many decades. A man who would take all the time in the world to spend with his patients, allaying fears, providing hope and comfort, while engaging his special brand of patient interaction and profound kindness. Professor Martin Tattersall, or ‘Prof’ as he was known to many.
Following Prof’s time at Cambridge and the University College Hospital, he completed physician and research training at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, The Institute of Cancer Research, and Harvard Medical School. Possibly what isn’t as commonly known, was his passion for rowing culminated in his participation and subsequent win in the prestigious Head of the River, representing Cambridge University.
Throughout his stellar career, he was Professor of Cancer Medicine at the University of Sydney from 1977, the youngest person to take this prestigious position at the age of 36, and a clinical academic at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. His published works spoke for themselves, with over 600 academic peer reviewed articles, and 23,000 citations.
However Prof’s legacy lies with not only his relentless pursuit of a cure for cancer, but the personal interaction with his patients.
Cooper’s first meeting with Prof Tattersall could have gone either way. Coop was a headstrong, sport mad young man who had just turned 17, and Prof was in his 70’s, and a highly accomplished oncologist. As it turned out it was a match made in heaven. We understood Coop had the best of the best medically, however what we did not know at the time, is the man entrusted with Cooper’s treatment, was also renowned for the way he interacted with his patients.
The lynchpin as it turned out was Prof’s inherent love of rowing. He was not only a distinguished physician, but a passionate and very accomplished athlete. The two would share many stories over the 18 months spanning Cooper’s treatment.
Cooper and Prof forged a very close relationship, and that relationship became one of the driving forces for the inception of CRBF. Cooper could always rely on his team led by Prof, together with Keith Cox, OAM, and Dr Richard Boyle. His questions were relentless and the information they each provided was the only information we would refer to throughout the gruelling treatment regimes. It was no surprise the three comprised the first appointments to the CRBF Medical Advisory Board, together with recent member Professor Angela Hong.
Prof was also a champion of patient’s rights. He fought tirelessly to have Cooper included on a clinical study in which he felt the science demonstrated, showed enormous validity. At that stage Cooper had exhausted all mainstream options, with little hope. Despite the fact Prof was forced to swim against the tide with pushback from so many areas, including government agencies and treating hospitals, he managed to have the trial approved on compassionate grounds, which finally gave Cooper the hope he so needed. Sadly, due to the red tape involved, too much time lapsed and Cooper’s condition was too advanced by the time the trial had been approved. At times, this aspect of Prof’s work proved to be frustrating and heartbreaking. At his very essence, he was a deeply compassionate man who genuinely cared for his patients.
The world today is poorer for Professor Tattersall’s passing.
From all at CRBF, we extend our deepest condolences to Sue, Peter, Mark and Stephen, and their extended families for their devastating loss.
Baxter has returned to the field, and is at his brilliant best after a twelve month rehabilitation to overcome a serious back injury.
