Get involved and help Queenslanders living with cancer by volunteering. Volunteers are the heart of our organisation. Join us to make a greater impact and connect with like-minded people.
Every contribution helps support those living with cancer. Whether a one-off donation or monthly gift, your support ensures funding stability for long-term goals and future generations.
Leave a legacy by including a gift in your Will, starting a tribute page for a loved one, or funding a research grant for early-career cancer researchers driving clinical innovations.
Organise a fundraising event in your community, either as a team or an individual. You can join one of our existing fundraising events or you might like to come up with your own way.
When organisations work together, we can have a greater impact for every Queenslander going through cancer and help amplify our message for all Australians.
However you get involved, you’re making a direct impact on the lives of Queenslanders affected by cancer. See the results of what we’ve all achieved.
Contributions go towards world-class research, prevention programs and support service.
Girls’ Night In is the perfect excuse to catch up with friends for a good cause! Parties are often all about the food and drinks, which can make it hard to stick to healthy habits. With these tips, the good news is that your night in doesn’t have to be overly indulgent!You don’t have to deprive yourself or your guests from delicious snacks and treats. Instead, try these simple options to help make it a night to remember whilst keeping it healthy.Roasted chickpeasToss chickpeas with spices and macadamia oil and bake in the oven until crispy.Fruit kebabs with yoghurt dipA colourful crowd-pleaser – elevate your favourite fruit by adding them onto skewers. Then why not give them a delicious yoghurt dip for a creamy flavour contrast?Peanut butter applesDrizzle apple slices with warm peanut butter and top with granola and dried fruit for a healthy dessert.Nice creamAt its simplest, nice cream is frozen bananas blended up into soft serve, but add in additional ingredients like almond butter, berries or nuts, and it’s like you are making your own custom ice cream.Sweet potato or zucchini chipsSlice the sweet potatoes as thinly as possible to maximise the crispiness. Add some tahini dressing or avocado dip.DIY trail mixCombine your favourite unsalted nuts with some cranberries and dark chocolate chips.Air-popped popcornAlways a great addition to a girls night, especially when you’re watching a movie, opt for plain popcorn without the added butter and salt.Dark chocolate dipped strawberries or bananasMelt dark chocolate in a pot the night before and dip the fruit into it before placing it on a tray with baking paper, before putting them in the freezer.Vegetable platterCarrots, cucumbers or capsicum slices with some hummus or avocado dip.Jug of non-alcoholic drinkAdd a selection of sliced fruit and herbs with mineral water to feel satisfied without the added sugar or alcohol. Mint, cucumber and lemon is a popular flavour, or try strawberries and lime.Now you’ve got what you’ll be snacking on sorted, it’s time to sign up to support Queenslanders impacted by a women’s cancer.When you register as a Girls’ Night In host, you’ll receive a host kit packed with everything you need, including ideas, tips and promotional materials to use at your event such as posters and cards.
Register to host a Girls’ Night In
Five years ago, Robyn Fanning joined Cancer Council Queensland’s support team. This month, she sat down with us to share her passion for working with patients and carers at our Gluyas Rotary lodge in Townsville.
I joined Cancer Council Queensland because I wanted a rewarding role where I could make a positive impact. I enjoy sitting and having a cuppa with the residents, giving them the opportunity to share their story. It’s my job to listen and ensure they have access to support and services when they’re most vulnerable and distressed.
Often, you’re surprised at what’s most important at that point in time – animals and gardens really matter to them. In the North you hear people asking, “Who is going to water my garden? Will my roses die?” The practical impacts of cancer are the priority for people before dealing with the emotional aspects. My role is also about supporting carers. I gently remind them it is important to prioritise their own self-care and seek the help they need.
“People sometimes assume my work would be depressing. It’s quite the opposite, the hope, inspiration, and courage that people have inspires every day.”
Travelling to rural and remote communities showed me how their needs differ from people in the city. Thankfully advances in medical technology have meant people don’t need to be away from home as long as they used to. I recall women with breast cancer opting to have a mastectomy vs. lumpectomy and radiation just to minimize their time away from home.
There are many people who don’t want to hear the Darvell family’s story. It hurts too much to think about sick children, let alone really sick children. But those who scroll on miss out. Because the Darvell’s story is not just a sad or cautionary tale. It is a love story. Love, not as a feeling, as we so often think of it, but as an action. Love, which doesn’t know lengths it will go to, until it has no choice but to go there.
“It doesn’t feel rare when it happens to you”
Before his fall, Henry was the most active of Alex and Mark’s four children.
“He was always climbing things, running, jumping, just being really, really hands on. He was a handful,” Alex says.
So, when their two-and-a-half-year-old tripped and hit his head at the park, his parents assumed their energetic little boy was just a bit wobbly on his feet.
When they took him to the hospital, Alex and Mark were told he was concussed, and Henry was promptly discharged. But within 12 hours their son took a turn for the worse.
By the time Alex got him back to the Gold Coast University Hospital, Henry was constantly vomiting, he could barely walk, and he was turning grey.
The emergency care team immediately put Henry through a CT scan.
Immediately after the scan, Alex watched the doctor putting a canula into Henry’s arm get a call from the radiation department.
“I could tell by the look on her face something was wrong. I insisted she tell me. She said Henry had a tumor in his brain. I felt like a floated away. I didn’t even feel like I was in the room anymore.”
“I know that it’s out there… that kids get cancer, and it’s always described as being rare. But it doesn’t feel rare when it happens to you,” Alex says.
“Every time we did a scan, more things would pop up”
That conversation marked a new era in the Darvell family’s life.
For Alex, it was the first trickle of a stream of never-ending appointments, her maternity leave now indefinitely extended.
For Mark, it meant tag-teaming with Alex at the hospital on the days he wasn’t at work, and his nights catching up on more work.
For their other children, it meant less mum and dad to go around.
And, for Henry, it meant treatment.
But while Alex and Mark poured everything they had into that treatment, they haven’t yet had the joy of watching Henry get better and stay better.
The surgery to remove his tumour involved cutting through Henry’s cerebellum. Overnight, their once boisterous boy lost all the skills he’d spent his little life learning.
“He couldn’t walk, talk, eat, drink, swallow… he couldn’t move a muscle for quite a few weeks. He had to slowly relearn how to do all that stuff.”
Then came the chemotherapy.
“The kids are getting the same chemo as adults. And, in some cases, they give kids stronger doses because they know kids are resilient and it gives them a better chance. It’s a really harsh treatment, and it does devastating things to them.”
Three months after his surgery, Alex and Mark got more shocking news.
Henry’s initial diagnosis, a medulloblastoma with a 90% survival rate, was incorrect.
Further analysis of his tumour revealed it was an Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumour (ATRT) – a rarer type of cancer with a higher likelihood of coming back, and a 30% survival rate.
Henry was immediately taken off chemotherapy and given radiation treatment, where had to be sedated every weekday for six weeks.
His radiation was followed by three rounds of high-dose chemotherapy – each round brought on a wave of painful side effects.
“The treatment gave him ulcers from his mouth to his intestinal tract. It’s painful, our kids end up on IV nutrition because they can’t swallow anything, they just vomit it straight up.”
“For every two days of chemo, he’d spend three weeks recovering. There were days where he’d have to be bathed from head to toe every six hours to stop the drug seeping through his skin and giving him a chemical burn.”
And, just when Alex and Mark thought the worst of it was over, Henry developed radiation necrosis.
“He was using a walker, in a few months he would have been walking on his own, and then overnight he couldn’t use his leg or hand.”
“Slowly but surely, he regressed back to where he was post-surgery. He couldn’t move a muscle.”
“Every time we did a scan more things would pop up. We’d deal with one thing, then there would be more symptoms of something else. It’s been a really, really hard 15 months,” Alex says.
The worse their circumstances, the better they become
Yet, whenever a new challenge comes, Alex and Mark wearily rise to meet it.
Once a retail manager, Alex has become a health professional in her own right. For Henry, she’s a physiotherapist, a speech therapist, and a nurse.
“You’re the best chance they have to get better. They can’t talk for themselves; he can’t say, ‘Mum I need some physio today’. You’ve got to know what he needs.”
“I was his nurse on the days when he didn’t want a stranger to treat him. I learned how to do his obs and use the IV machine, because it saved him that little bit of stress that day.”
“I had no idea about any of that stuff, you just learn it so you can give him the best chance.”
“Before this, I didn’t feel comfortable in a hospital but now it’s my second home,” Alex says.
Meanwhile, Mark crams his full-time job into three days a week.
“That’s a sacrifice he has to make to keep his job and to provide for his family. It’s a lot of pressure for him.”
“When he goes to work and I go to a scan, there’s always the possibility our lives could be turned upside down and he won’t be there. So, he goes in feeling anxious all day and is just sitting there waiting for me to update him and say everything is okay,” Alex says.
Cautious hope amidst immeasurable uncertainty
In the face of a thousand unknowns, Alex has cautious hope for Henry’s future.
“We like to focus on his recovery. But it’s going to take time.”
“While he has no evidence of disease since surgery, they find it hard to tell the difference on an MRI between radiation damage and the tumour coming back. Two years post-treatment is usually when it comes back. He’s now in the highest risk of recurrence at six months post-treatment.”
“I’m really hopeful that things are going to be better now. It’s a daunting thought but, I look at it like he’s got a year and a bit to be prepared for school,” Alex says.
Until then, their family’s life is both chaotic, and at a complete standstill.
Days rush past, packed with appointments, school runs, shopping, lunchboxes, washing, and all the other tasks that leave parents slumped on the couch at night, too tired to cook for themselves. Yet the weeks between scans and results, and the months between treatment and milestones, they stretch out like an eternity.
“It’s going to be a long time before we ever feel safe and that it’s not coming back. It’s hard to feel positive all the time,” Alex says.
And it’s true, the Darvells are not always positive. Often, they are overwhelmed, exhausted, scared, angry, sad, and hurt. And that’s okay. Because in their story, love is not a feeling, it’s an action.
As anyone who’s spent time in regional Australia knows, there’s something special about country communities.
The road to Goondiwindi (or “Gundy”, as local residents call it) in the Darling Downs is instantly recognisable, as it’s lined with little buds from the local cotton industry. The people are warm and friendly, and everyone pulls together, whether it’s to offer lifts or to raise money through regular fundraisers.
Avril, a retired cattle farmer in her eighties who still splits up her own firewood with a saw bench, has lived in the area for more than half her life, and exemplifies country spirit.
She still volunteers at her local Driver Reviver site and delivers food for Meals on Wheels.
She has also donated regularly to Cancer Council Queensland since 1992 yet refuses to take credit for her incredible contribution.
Avril says, “At the time, my husband and I just decided we should start supporting something we may need, and other people do need.”
“You can’t give to every charity as much as you would like to. You’ve got to target the areas you think are most important in your own life. I know a lot of people who have gone through cancer.”
Avril has also taken part in the Sponsor a Room program at her nearest Cancer Council Queensland Accommodation Lodge – the Olive McMahon Lodge in Toowoomba. The Lodges gives rural and regional Queenslanders, along with their families and carers, a place to stay if they need to travel for cancer treatment. Avril chose to sponsor a room at Olive McMahon for a year, and her gift has helped enhance the amenities and services available for guests who come to stay.
“I think that’s a marvellous thing. When the brochure came out, I read about it, and I thought, well, I can’t help physically but I can write a cheque. So that’s what I did.”
“If I need treatment in Toowoomba, I’m only three hours away, but I know there are people who are eight hours away. So, the Lodges are very much a necessity and appreciated.”
What’s more, she has also generously included a donation to Cancer Council Queensland in her Will.
Avril is typically modest about her gift.
She says, “I hope to heck it does a lot of good!”
Learn more about our Sponsor a Room Program.
In the world of online gaming, Project Zomboid is iconic. For more than a decade, a small videogame development company – The Indie Stone – poured their hearts and souls into the realistic zombie outbreak simulation, challenging players to ponder what they’d do in the face of a terrifying undead apocalypse. But behind the scenes of this popular game, another story was taking place – one of resilience, creativity, and compassion in the face of personal tragedy.
Project Zomboid Creative Director Will Porter, was one of the people who first started gathering a band of renegade developers called, ‘The Indie Stone’, back in 2011. For 10 years, this small but dedicated team worked tirelessly on their passion project – Project Zomboid. To them, it’s not just a game; it’s a labour of love, a testament to the indomitable spirit of indie gaming. The turning point for their small-time operation came a couple of years ago when they released a new version, which sent ripples through the gaming world. The game’s community grew exponentially, with players joining from all corners of the globe. But the surge in popularity of Project Zomboid coincided with a challenging period in the life one of the team members – Zac Congo – whose partner Vicki was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cervical cancer. Throughout her long illness, Vicki and Zac’s love and moral support for each other shaped what the video game has now become.
Sadly, Vicki passed away from her cancer. To honour her memory and help raise awareness of cervical cancer, The Indie Stone team were determined to come up with a creative fundraising plan that was relevant to their gaming community. During her treatment, Zac and Vicki lived more than 90 minutes away from the hospital, so they spent a lot of their time staying at Cancer Council Queensland’s Charles Wanstall lodge. “The lodge gave us a fully equipped apartment, with a bathroom and kitchen. It was our home away from home during Vicki’s treatment,” Zac said. “The staff were friendly and kind, and there were counsellors we could speak to any time.” “There’s no way to sugarcoat it. Vicki’s cancer was brutal. It did terrible things to her, and I frantically tried my best to look after her – it was just all so scary. Having such a place like the Cancer Council Queensland lodge to stay at with such lovely people – who understood – really helped us with the cancer experience.” Previously, the team had run a successful fundraising campaign with a company called Makeship. It allowed players to preorder a cuddly toy based on the game’s mascot – Spiffo the Raccoon – and the response was very positive. But this time, they had a new idea – what if they attached the campaign to a charitable cause? So, with the blessing of Zac and Vicki’s family, they decided to donate the profits from a second run of Spiffo plushies to Cancer Council Queensland.
Steadfast Spiffo, the mascot of Project Zomboid, is more than just a cute raccoon. He originally came from The Indie Stone’s previous unreleased game Paws. Spiffo is a cute, lovable character who adds a unique touch to the game’s dark and moody atmosphere. He soon became an integral part of the game’s identity, so, in collaboration with Makeship, a Spiffo plushie was designed, capturing the essence of the character. In honour of Vicki and her battle with cancer, Spiffo became available to purchase for a month. Spiffo was hugely successful, and The Indie Stone’s team raised more than $100,000 for Cancer Council Queensland!
The Spiffo fundraising campaign initiated by The Indie Stone, with the support of Makeship and the gaming community, is an incredible example of organisational fundraising. Not only does it exemplify the strength of unity, kindness, and generosity within the team, but it also shows the incredible power of tapping into their business’ community to make a profound difference. People like Zac and The Indie Stone’s team show the amazing scope of what is possible when great minds come together for a cause they truly care about.
Your donations can help fund projects like this, to benefit all Queenslanders
In June 2024, we launched a groundbreaking online, research tool in partnership with QUT. The updated Australian Cancer Atlas 2.0 shows in detail how each area across the country is faring when it comes to cancer incidence, diagnosis, screening and survival rates.
The project was led by Professor Peter Baade from Cancer Council Queensland. Among the surprising data revealed by the Australian Cancer Atlas 2.0, was that Queensland has the highest diagnosis rates of melanoma in the world, with the south-east corner of Queensland as well as coastal areas, having particularly high diagnosis rates.
Another consistent pattern confirmed by the Australian Cancer Atlas 2.0, is that Australians living in regional and remote areas are experiencing poorer survival rates than those living in urban and metro areas.
Professor Baade says “There is substantial evidence that, when it comes to cancer, where you live really matters. Our research demonstrates that the disparities faced by Australians living in regional and remote areas have not improved over time.”
QUT Centre for Data Science Director, Distinguished Professor Kerrie Mengersen, says this tool is critical in helping define rural and regional healthcare planning.
“Now we have the data, the next step is understanding the ‘why.’ Once we do that, we can make informed changes to reduce these differences in cancer rates. By using the Cancer Atlas along with the new Australian Cancer Plan, we can give policymakers, advocates, and communities the tools to make better health outcomes for all Australians.”
Explore the Australian Cancer Atlas today
For more than two decades now, Chris has been answering calls from Queenslanders across the state in need of cancer information and support. When calls have come through to Cancer Council Queensland’s 13 11 20 phone line, it’s been Chris’s gentle, calm way of being that has put people at ease.
With his wealth of experience, Chris understands what people are going through, and the importance of actively listening. “It’s about holding space with people and truly hearing their concerns, without jumping in and offering solutions immediately,” he says.
Chris says to work at 13 11 20, staff must have tertiary healthcare qualifications. Most have come from oncology nursing to ensure Queenslanders are getting the correct support. While some issues affect all Queenslanders regardless of their location, others are more pronounced in rural and regional areas. Issues such as access to accommodation and treatment away from home, and limited local counselling services, are particularly salient for rural and regional callers. To address these geographical challenges, Cancer Council Queensland offers services like counselling and peer support, and wig and turban fitting services over the phone or online.
Chris says “We adapt our services to overcome any location. People can always reach out to us in the way that suits them best, whether by filling out a form on our website or calling us directly on 13 11 20.”
Learn more about our 13 11 20 information and support line.
When Toowoomba grain farmer, Peter Haeusler, was diagnosed with a Merkel cell carcinoma on his eyelid, he caught a Greyhound bus to Brisbane to have the tumor removed. But, within weeks it grew back to almost 8mm in diameter, and Peter found himself back in Brisbane undergoing radiation treatment for several weeks.Throughout this challenging period, Peter found respite at our Charles Wanstall lodge. After several weeks, the lump on his eyelid disappeared and Peter was able to return home to Toowoomba. Deeply appreciative of the care provided by Cancer Council Queensland, he resolved to give back to regional Queenslanders going through cancer. Last October, Peter generously donated $15,000 to purchase 12 recliner chairs for Toowoomba’s Olive McMahon to enhance the comfort of others going through treatment. “You feel deflated after treatment, I was fit enough, and I still wanted to have a real rest after radiation. It was important to me that the chairs I bought for the lodge would be suitable for everyone, not just the fit and able people. You need a really relaxing chair you can sink back in.”
With more than 850 kilometres between his rural property in Thargomindah and his medical team in Toowoomba, Peter can stay in town and receive radiation therapy, thanks to accommodation provided by Cancer Council Queensland.
Retired farmer Peter lives so remotely that services like ‘The School of the Air’ and ‘The Royal Flying Doctor Service’ are just part and parcel of everyday life. While there’s no resident doctor in his town of Thargomindah, Peter received his diagnosis for prostate cancer last year, through a blood test at his local health clinic. At first, the idea of needing to travel to a metro area to start treatment felt daunting. “I can’t handle the big cities because I grew up in the bush. For many years, it was just myself, my wife, and my kids for the next 40 kilometres.” The cost of staying in town was also an issue. “When they told me I needed to go to Toowoomba for eight weeks, I thought ‘this is going to cost me a fortune,’” Peter says. “You get a rebate from the government if you stay somewhere like a motel, but the gap is still around $80 to $90 a day… and there’s a lot of days in eight weeks.” It was Peter’s daughter who first told him about Cancer Council Queensland’s Olive McMahon Lodge in Toowoomba, a ‘home away from home’ for Queenslanders impacted by cancer and living in rural and regional areas. Peter’s stayed three times at the Lodge, while he undergoes treatment. Each stay involves a three-hour flight from Thargomindah Airport to Toowoomba, and a cab ride to the Lodge. Peter says he appreciates the comfortable rooms, the facilities, and the supportive staff at the Olive McMahon Lodge. He also enjoys the opportunity to connect with other Queenslanders going through treatment in the Lodge’s communal areas. While staying in Toowoomba, Peter has also been able to use Cancer Council Queensland’s Transport to Treatment service to get to and from his medical appointments. Peter says, “I’m able to go on the courtesy bus every morning.” Peter feels the situation for rural and regional patients is improving. When he was young, he watched as his mother passed away only ten days after being diagnosed with a late-stage cancer. Now, aged 70, and facing his own cancer diagnosis, he says things have come a long way. “The treatment, in particular, is getting so much better. I’ve got a bunch of grandkids and great grandkids. Their chances of survival when it comes to cancer are going to be great.” People can always reach out to us in the way that suits them best, whether by filling out a form on our website or calling us directly on 13 11 20.”
Learn more about our Accommodation Lodges
