Curran Foundation Spring Reception launched the 2022 Portraits book. Portraits: A celebration of Gratitude, written by Bernard Zuel, supported by Vittoria coffee was released at the Curran Foundation Spring Reception on Thursday 6 Feb 2022 by His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AD DSC.

Marcel Kwantes (Siobhan O’Toole’s Husband) and I were were invited to enjoy the celebration of fundraising.

Fairness in Cancer Treatment

Ask Siobhan O'Toole how much of the energy for her fundraising came from anger and she'll tell you immediately, "a lot".

Anger at what felt like inadequate information and support when she was diagnosed with cancer. Anger at the inadequacies of the choices presented to her. Anger at finding out how little was known, and given, to a program that worked incredibly well for her.

However, at least as much of her drive comes from the flipside to that anger, a Dutch word whose simplicity belies its importance in the culture of the Netherlands: eerlijkheid. It means fairness. And for Siobhan, it means everything.

But first, there was anger.

Already conscious of a family history of breast cancer, Siobhan was actively screening from the age of 36, including a biopsy each time she had a mammogram. So, in a sense she was expecting something.

But when at 40 the diagnosis came through for a woman working in several careers, including a financial technology start-up and native food development, who was highly active and a surf lifesaver, it still shocked.

Shock was followed by a need to know everything and do something.

" was pretty angry with this ridiculous procedure where they give you a book, a plastic pink pen and a nail file. I've got cancer, I don't need a nail file; I need an appropriate report. I don't need a book that explains all the generic stuff to do with cancer; I need a report that tells me what my cancer is and the variable options associated with that," she says now.

"The first doctor said we'll wait and only ever spoke about surgery. I went to another breast cancer surgeon and she was like 'you have to start chemo tomorrow, you need to go now, this is a triple negative breast cancer.

She said you need to see an oncologist, and that line sat so strongly with me because she then picked up the phone and called the oncologist and also said to him, I think she is the right candidate for one of your trials.

"I got a set of weights, instructions, I got a doctor, I had an exercise physiologist, I had people in support mode around me to help me exercise throughout my entire chemo,"

"I thought, why wouldn't we just set up an exercise program for cancer patients so everybody has access to the exercise I have. Everyone should have this, the science is clear. It's beyond climate denying clear."

She began with a raffle at the local surf club that raised more than $5000, held an educational seminar and an auction, plugged in her network and found a corporate sponsor to match funds. While waiting for the funds to come through she organised a Laps for Cancer fundraising swim through Bondi Icebergs' swimming club that raised a further $35,000 through a grant from the club and community donations. The total went past $60,000 early in the year, with more to come.

It's gone past raising money for Siobhan though; it's at least as much about raising awareness. About demanding that we do better.

"The goal is to get to the point where insurance companies expect that we do this and we have a gold standard treatment for cancer, in all of the different variance that it comes in."

That's real eerlijkheid.

Siobhan O’Toole

Words by Bernard Zuel
Photos by Andrew Worsam

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