I am delighted to announce I have been appointed to the board of the Delta Goodrem Foundation. The newly established foundation will help advance vital research to improve treatment for blood cancers like Hodgkin’s Lymphoma through the Delta Goodrem Foundation Fellowship in Cellular Therapy.
Delta and my relationship began more than fifteen years ago when she came to see me as a teenager with a neck lump. I diagnosed her Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and referred her to St Vincent’s haematologist Assoc Professor John Moore who led the team which planned and supported Delta through her difficult but successful treatment.
Over the past fifteen years Delta has been a fantastic supporter of St Vincent’s cancer treatment and research endeavours. Her support to the Hospital has taken many forms including as the Patron of The Kinghorn Cancer Centre at St Vincent’s and Ambassador for the Hospital’s Haematology Ward, roles in which she has worked alongside me in my capacity as St Vincent’s Director of Cancer Services.
The Delta Goodrem Foundation Fellowship in Cellular Therapy also acknowledges St Vincent’s role as a national and international leader in advancing cellular therapy and research. St Vincent’s performed the first adult bone marrow transplant in Australia some 40 years ago, and has been at the forefront ever since in advancing research into bone marrow and stem cell transplantation for malignant diseases, and more recently, autoimmune diseases.
I am extremely proud to be part of the Delta Goodrem Foundation. I know how close this cause and the hospital are to Delta’s heart. Few people see the amazing commitment she has to cancer patients and the tireless work she does to support St Vincent’s. The research Delta is supporting and the foundation she is building have the potential to help all cancer patients. It is a fantastic legacy for one individual to build from their personal cancer journey.
To learn more about the Delta Goodrem Foundation you can go to deltagoodremfoundation.org
