The clinical trial that threw one Queensland mum a lifeline
Scarborough mother of two and former Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) patient, Sheridan Donohue, has just one wish this Christmas: to be given the gift of time through life-saving brain cancer research.
This year, the RBWH Foundation hopes to fulfil that wish through its annual Christmas Appeal, asking donors to consider purchasing Christmas e-gifts for loved ones or donating.
“Time is everything,” said Simone Garske, CEO of the RBWH Foundation.
“When you are unwell or facing a life-threatening condition, every moment with loved ones is precious. That’s why medical research is so vital. It can help save lives and provide that precious time.”
Honestly, that’s the best gift you can give anyone, to raise money for research to extend people’s life and cure illnesses, because money doesn’t mean anything in the long run,” Sheridan said. “You need health.
In November 2020, Sheridan was on a much-needed escape to Moreton Island. It had been a long hard year for the tax accountant, working additional hours because of COVID-19 lockdowns and remote working arrangements.
Sheridan woke with what she thought was a hang-over. Within hours though, she would collapse with an undetected brain tumour and be given just 18 months to live.
“We had big party night on the Friday night and then the next day we decided to go down to the resort, down this massive hill,” recalls Sheridan. “It was horrible going down all the stairs in the heat, but we got down to the resort and were going to go for a swim.”
Sheridan was thirsty, so she and a friend went to buy water. As Sheridan walked through the resort, she suddenly did a 360-degree turn. It was the beginning of a devastating seizure.
“I stayed fully conscious the whole time and it was just the worst feeling, I’ve never experienced anything like it. I’m always fit and healthy, and I just couldn’t stop my body.”
A scan on the mainland revealed the horrific truth. Sheridan had a brain tumour and within a week, she would be undergoing brain surgery to remove it.
Although neurosurgeons were able to remove the tumour, Sheridan was delivered another shattering blow. Her tumour was a glioblastoma, an aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer. She was given just eighteen months to live.
“I told mum and dad to stop googling glioblastomas because you never see anything good there, it’s all doom and gloom.”
In the shocking months which followed, Sheridan wrote her will and by accessing her superannuation was able to buy a townhouse which would be left to her teenage daughters.
Sheridan was offered a lifeline. She could take part in a RBWH clinical trial which was testing a new line of treatment. It meant Sheridan would need to go onto chemotherapy immediately, rather than waiting for radiation.
I was very ecstatic to be put on a trial. As well as it potentially saving my life, I also want to help others in the future. If it works for me then hopefully it’ll work for other people with the same thing that I’ve got.
It’s now two years since Sheridan was first diagnosed and life is good. She is still on the clinical trial, undergoing chemotherapy every month, but is cancer free.
How your donation can save lives
Donations of any amount can make a big difference at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH).
At the RBWH, time is a precious commodity. Every patient wants more time with their family. Every doctor and nurse wants to be able to dedicate more time and care to those who come through the hospital’s door. And every researcher wants more time to undertake the work that can lead to medical breakthroughs.
And while money can’t buy time, it can facilitate it. The RBWH Foundation relies on donations to be able to do the work that grants patients, doctors and researcher’s invaluable time.
We are working to saves lives every day whether it’s through clinical trials or in our cancer wards,
Every donation makes a difference to the quality and quantity of potentially lifesaving cancer research projects that we can undertake.
- Executive Director, Cancer Care Services, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH), Associate Professor Glen Kennedy
Please donate to the RBWH Foundation Christmas Appeal and help give the gift of time to people so they can spend many more Christmases with their loved ones.
