Fundraising flower power!

When a terrible experience led her to appreciate the true power of science, this WA mum’s fundraising powers blossomed.

Her family had just returned from holiday when 13-month-old Zoe began waking up in the night, screaming in pain and pulling her knees up to her chest. GPs had various theories – she was teething, she had growing pains, just give her some Panadol and she’ll be fine – but mum Alison knew something more serious was going on.

“I remember having an argument with a GP, asking if he could order some blood tests,” Alison says. “He said, ‘What do you want me to look for?’ I said, ‘Well, you’re a doctor, you tell me.’ She was just not a happy little girl. She went off food. She was lethargic. She stopped crawling.”

Read more: Behind the Science, “Cage fighting" with neuroblastoma

Still unaware of the gravity of their daughter’s situation, mum and dad told the doctors they’d head home quickly, pack some clothes and other essentials, then come back for further tests.

“They said, ‘No, you can’t leave. We have to figure this out right now’,” Alison says. “That was a Monday and by Wednesday she had been diagnosed with a stage-IV aggressive neuroblastoma. The doctors said she had a 40% chance of survival. On the Friday, she started chemo.”

“Back when we were in hospital our friend, Guydon Boyle, said he wanted to do a fundraiser and asked who he should fundraise for,” she says. “We did some research and discovered The Kids’ Cancer Project was an independent, national charity supporting some fantastic research around neuroblastoma. So that’s who we chose.”

The original fundraiser was a community bike ride around the family’s hometown of York, WA. Much of the town’s population was involved, riding in pink t-shirts and singlets. Other fundraising opportunities were set up for the same day, including a community sheep shearing event, an auction and a party that evening.

Another friend promised that if the town raised more than $50,000 for The Kids’ Cancer Project, he’d ride his bike from York to Perth as an extra fundraiser. The generous townspeople beat that target and in the end, from all of the events, an amount of close to $150,000 was donated to The Kids’ Cancer Project.

“Our first year, in 2016, we banded together with the extended family and made as many bunches as possible in the shearing shed to sell at the York Markets. With a little bit of advertising on social media, the York community came in droves as we sold out within three hours, fundraising approximately $2,500.”

Eventually, Alison began selling to cafes in York and Goomalling, at sports events, weddings and other community events. She has raised several thousand dollars every year since, for a total of more than $13,000.

“Each year I’ve just continued doing it with the kids, cutting the flowers as they’re ready. I certainly have had some very early-morning pickings to beat the heat, as well as late nights making bunches as the kids lived off toasted sandwiches, but it was all worth it,” she says. 

In 2020 alone Alison and the kids raised over $3500. 

“The proteas are becoming quite well known in the district,” she says. “And I’m glad that’s the case, because it supports science. We need science, and we need research, to find answers that save the lives of children.”