CFR A4 Thank You Report - No Bleed Pages OUTPUT

Thank You from Y u, Me and Charlies 2023

Me and Charlies want to thank y u Vicki Rasmussen CEO, Charlies Foundation for Research Writing my welcome for the Communication is critical in any Thank You Report affords me the relationship, and our partnership opportunity to reflect on the journey with you, our supporter, is no of Charlies Foundation for Research different. To continue connecting and the amazing supporters at with you as effectively as possible, its heart. we’re making digital communication a priority. I encourage you to With a robust five-decade long connect and follow us on Facebook history already, your continued and Instagram where you can stay support means the future of the up to date with our news, events Foundation has never looked more and breakthroughs. We’ll also be promising as it does right now. using more email communications. Feel free to email us at Thanks to your generous gifts and [email protected]. donations, the Foundation is funding au, or call us on 08 6457 2042, more than $1 million of research and and continue to partner with us other projects all based right here in so we can help transform patient WA in 2022/2023. outcomes every day. We’re incredibly proud of this Please enjoy this Thank You Report milestone as it’s our largest volume – we couldn’t do it without you. of funding ever and could not have been achieved without your support. Thank You.

Chair of the Board Report Helen Carvosso Chair of the Board, Charlies Foundation for Research I take great personal pride in funding at Sir Charles Gairdner and inviting you to read our third Osborne Park Hospitals than it does Thank You Report. today. This would be impossible without the support of our donors As the Chair of the Board of Charlies and collaborators. Foundation for Research, I’m in the enviable position of meeting Your donor gifts, regardless of some of the incredible donors and their size, make everything the supporters who are the heart of the Foundation supports possible today Foundation. I’m also inspired by the and into tomorrow. dedicated and talented researchers and clinicians whose projects and Whilst we absolutely could not research are transforming patient do the work without our donors, outcomes at all stages of life. I would also like to thank the Foundation’s staff. Their enthusiasm You can read about some of these and passion for what they do incredible people and their stories continues to inspire us all to throughout the Report. collaborate as researchers, patients, donors, and the community to build The Foundation has never a better future for us all. been stronger, more focused or contributed so much research Thank you.

It all starts with Y u, Me and Charlies As the primary fundraising body for create positive change for patient Sir Charles Gairdner and Osborne outcomes and experiences. It allows Park Hospitals, we are driven by a them to develop initial data and clear vision to enable quality results, which in turn supports them patient care and transform in attracting more funding and outcomes. Thanks to the support of support to expand their research, kind people like you, the work and benefits for more patients. Foundation is able to bring together researchers, clinicians, and patients Our seed funding approach, to undertake world class research powered by people like you, projects in Perth. has helped launch remarkable advances in medical care that have Your generous support allows the transformed outcomes for patients Foundation to provide seed funding both in Australia and overseas. to new researchers and emerging scientists, activating projects that How your 1 2 support Germinating an Idea Seeding the Research seeds better Our clinicians, researches or frontline Funding from Charlies Foundation for patient care sta identify an area for improvement, Research, provided by donors like you, and work out a research strategy. helps the research project grow. 3 Growing the Study Researchers can gather information, 4 Producing the Results further their research and gain initial Once the project results to attract further funding. gains attention of The research is peak funding bodies, published, and 5 Sharing the Benefits clinical trials and hospital practice or studies can help treatment changes. Our initiative prove the research Care for all West and its results, aims and further test Australians is are noticed and the idea, until it is improved. adopted by ready to be released. other hospitals throughout Australia and overseas, for the benefit of patients all over the world. Together,we can tran form outcomes and live

Research TheraDpriKstriastteSiHr aCrhpaerrle–sOGcaciurdpnaetiroHnoalspital with everystep! to create a baseline report of patient activity within a hospital One small step for grant funding, environment. Patients and staff one giant step for improving patient were also interviewed about using outcomes. ActivPALsTM and how patient activity could be better supported In a hospital first, accelerometer in hospital. step tracking has been successfully introduced at Sir Charles Gairdner These insights enabled Dr Harper Hospital (SCGH). and her team, including Hannah Flynne, to develop a new therapy Accelerometers have historically program called ‘Promoting been used in sports science settings Independent Patients’. to track, and measure step activity of elite athletes. The team will keep testing and refining the project throughout Dr Kristie Harper, Occupational 2023, with a view to even wider Therapist at SCGH, identified an implementation to reach more opportunity to apply the same patients and improve outcomes. trackers to a hospital-based setting to measure patient activity. However, it doesn’t end here! Thanks to your generous support, the initial With grant funding from Charlies grant Dr Harper received from the Foundation for Research, Dr Harper Foundation was a stepping stone to purchased the accelerometers, a further funding grant from Curtin known as ActivPALsTM, and started University to support more patients counting patient steps. to keep their steps up. “We know that when patients come “Now the project has lots of into hospital, older adults especially opportunities for extended research are at high risk of functional decline, reach including incorporating and can often leave hospital with the difference between patients muscular deterioration as a result of staying in hospital and going home. bed rest.” The accelerometers allow us to accurately measure and assess the “If we can monitor and maintain impact of our interventions,” said patient activity while they’re in Dr Harper. hospital, they go home in a stronger position and bounce back quicker,” Isn’t that a great step in the right said Dr Harper. direction? The first stage of the project included gathering accurate patient step data using the ActivPALsTM

Your gift empo Thanks to people like you, a new at- This small device has now home treatment for people suffering successfully revolutionised fluid build-up in the lungs (pleural treatment for pleural effusion by effusion) has been pioneered. enabling patients to drain their own fluid at home. As well as giving Pleural effusion is a painful and patients more time with their distressing side effect of cancer families, it also saves more than treatment, infection, or heart 14,000 hospital bed days across failure. Its treatment usually Australia each year. requires patients to attend hospital regularly to have the fluid drained, a This a breakthrough has already procedure which can be painful and transformed countless lives and was invasive. made possible because of people like you. For patients, this new treatment means less hospital visits, and more “WA is now leading the world with time at home with their loved ones. treating pleurisy in cancer patients, and at SCGH we have a centralised Professor Gary Lee, Director of service for patients with pleural Pleural Services at SCGH, has seen effusion,” says Professor Lee. “We first-hand the distressing effects are proud to show that we could that pleural effusion can have design and lead high quality multi- on patients. With seed funding centre clinical trials here in WA secured by Charlies Foundation that improve treatment for patients for Research, Professor Lee and worldwide. This is only possible his team of specialists undertook through funding from supporters ground-breaking studies across and the Foundation.” hospitals in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia For patient Carmela, Professor to test the effectiveness of IPCs Lee’s IPC gave her precious time (indwelling pleural catheters). at home with her family. “Without this plural implant I’d be going daily to hospital, with hours of fuss. This procedure takes half an hour at home,” says Carmela. “Professor Lee is a very decent man who needs our support to fund his work and keep others from suffering.” Carmela and Professor Gary Lee, Director of Pleural Services at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital

owers research Sadly, Carmela passed away March Carmela shared her story with 29th, 2022, before we were able to the Foundation in the hope of publish this story. The Foundation is inspiring more people to donate eternally grateful that during the last and to highlight the importance of weeks of her life Carmela was still medical research and the impact generously advocating for Professor it had on her life. Donations allow Lee and the Foundation. Carmela medical researchers and doctors like dedicated her life to helping others Professor Lee to continue creating and making a difference to every breakthroughs in patient care, at person she met, professionally and every stage of life. personally. Small Things Matter Research Week 2022 uncovered instead of days. This means that some fantastic research projects. antifungal drugs could potentially be administered much more However, it was UWA Graduate quickly which will improve patient Research Assistant Margaret outcomes. Future work will involve Kopczyk’s work on detecting yeast applying the assay to many more cells that took out first prize in the clinical samples and calculating the scientific poster presentations. performance of the method. Candidemia (the presence of yeast Margaret’s poster the Rapid cells in blood) is a serious condition Detection of Candida Species that can be fatal for patients. in Blood Cultures Using Flow Cytometry won $600 for first prize. In the pilot study, Margaret tested the use of flow cytometry (a machine that can analyse thousands of cells in seconds) to reduce the time it takes to detect yeast cells in blood cultures. This time saving is critical as it provides results in one hour Margaret Kopczyk, graduate research assistant at UWA

The storieswe have told The people you have helped to support. The Foundation has heard some truly incredible stories. These people have contributed to changing the lives of the WA community. Without their passion and willingness to give we wouldn’t be able to do the things we do. Here’s a snapshot of some of the stories we’ve told. Your stories are important to us. If you are interested in becoming a community fundraiser for the Foundation or have a story to tell contact us on 08 6457 2042 or [email protected] Gordon ‘Mac’ MacDonald In January 2022, Mac’s world was rocked by a shock diagnosis. He was told he had a grade 4 terminal brain cancer known as glioblastoma and had a grim 12–15-month prognosis. With the support of his family and friends, in March 2023, Mac completed ‘Mac’s Bike Ride for Charlies’ cycling approximately 200km over two days from Bunbury to Perth, all while raising funds for cancer research. Mac raised over $24,000 – an incredible result! Giving Day Giving Day is a celebration of generosity, it’s a 24-hour period where an organisation asks its community to stand together and support a cause. Our last Giving Day raised an incredible $175,784 towards areas including Immunology and Transplant, Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing, Heart and Vascular, Allied Health, ICU, Stroke Rehabilitation, and so much more! Keep an eye out for details on our next Giving Day this spring. Your generous donations help to improve the patient journey here at SCGH – thank you.

Jackie McCormick When Jackie turned 80, she wanted her special milestone to last longer than her party. Jackie asked her family and friends to donate to the Foundation in lieu of gifts for her birthday lunch. Jackie’s selflessness, and her incredible family and friends raised an amazing $980. Longest Table Last year we had incredible 12 hosts fundraising over $16,000 towards urgently needed cancer research. Our amazing supporters hosted lunches, dinners and even a Christmas in July party, all joining the fight against cancer. By hosting a Longest Table, you can help support lifesaving research towards prevention, detection, management, and treatment. If you are interested in hosting a Longest Table to help raise funds for Charlies Foundation for Research, contact the team on (08) 6457 2042 or email [email protected] Jono’s Great Haircut Jono was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, an aggressive cancer of the mouth, in June 2015. At only 18 years of age, he underwent a gruelling operation to remove the 8.5 cm tumour and then started a 7-week treatment regime of chemotherapy and radiotherapy at SCGH. Jono wanted to give back to the Youth Cancer Centre who supported his journey and has raised nearly $2,000 – double his original target! 2023 Tax Appeal - Stuart & Lily At the age of just 54, Stuart was diagnosed with a glioblastoma – a fast growing brain tumour. It is the most aggressive and most common type of cancer in the brain, and there is no cure. As a result of his brain tumour, Stuart developed Lateropulsion where patients lose the ability to use one side of their body. Stuart had one wish, to stand on his wedding day to marry the love of his life, Lily. Thanks to the incredible physiotherapists at Sir Charles Gairdner and Osborne Park Hospitals, Stuart was able to achieve this goal. Sadly, Stuart passed away just five months after their wedding. Thanks to Lily for sharing Stuart’s story and highlighting the importance of creating a meaningful life, however short it might be.

y uWhat have Raised over 69+ $2 million Research Life Saving Research Grants 43 Discovery Given Out Grants 21 Up to $30,000 1 Explorer 4 Major Bright Grant Grants Ideas Up to $60,000 Up to Up to $100,000 $5,000 14,000+ fFrroomm you Donations to Medical Research Supported Projects • Youth Cancer Centre • Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Program • Intensive Care Unit Waiting Room Upgrade • Heart and Vascular Research Institute • Immunology and Transplant Department • Allied Health Mobile Phone • Allied Health Music Therapy • Stroke Rehabilitation

e made po ible 5,682 New Donors Worked with Giving Day 2021 • Australia Alzheimer’s Research raised Institute $175,000 • The Liver Cancer Collaborative • Australian Inherited Retinal Disease in 24hr Registry and DNA Bank • University of Western Australia • Edith Cowan University • Heart and Vascular Research Institute Areas We Support RESPIRATORY NUCLEAR ALLIED HEALTH RHEUMATOLOGY GERIATRICS HAEMATOLOGY MEDICINE PULMONARY PHYSIOLOGY PHYSICS NURSING OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY GASTROENTEROLOGY ENT RADIATION ONCOLOGY SPEECH PATHOLOGY DIABETES VASCULAR AND ENDOCRINOLOGY ENDOVASCULAR PHYSIOTHERAPY SURGERY MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY RENAL MEDICINE INTENSIVE IMMUNOLOGY EMERGENCY CARE UNIT

Targeting for ucce i How 3D printing is helping Brachytherapy is a common type personalise treatment for radiation of radiation therapy used to treat oncology patients. cancers including breast, cervical, prostate, skin, uterine and vaginal by Radiation therapy uses controlled applying a sealed radiation source doses of radiation to eliminate next to or inside the tumour. cancer cells and shrink tumours. The 3D printer is used to create Looking for ways to improve the individualised 3D versions efficacy of radiation therapy, Dr of a patient’s organs so the Martin Ebert, Medical Physicist and brachytherapy applicators can be Director of Physics Research at the correctly positioned and treatment Radiation Oncology Department at can be accurately delivered. SCGH, identified a way to use 3D printing to improve targeting of Dr Pejman Rowshanfarzad, Chair radiation. of the Medical Physics Program at UWA, has been part of the In 2020, the Foundation provided treatment team at SCGH. He said Dr Ebert and his collaborating given a large number of cancer team of Radiation Oncologists patients require radiation therapy, with a $30,000 grant to purchase the new technique has been a 3D printer for radiation therapy beneficial for many patients. research. “The 3D printer can be used to map The researchers focused on how personalised approaches for each to use 3D printed brachytherapy patient’s treatment.” surface-applicators for high dose rate. Pictured: Joel Noble, Christopher Lane, Jake Kendrick, Nathaniel Barry, Branimir Rusanov, UWA Medical PhysicsMSc students working with the 3D printer in the Radiation Oncology to create a prototype of a patients skull.

in radiation treatments “This innovative 3D modelling effectively helps with the accurate commissioning of modern treatment techniques. It has proved to be superior for brachytherapy patient treatments at SCGH” he said. Without the grant from the Foundation and its generous supporters, we would not be able to implement these improvements into patient care and treatment. The 3D printer is just the start of an exciting program focused on further improving radiation therapy strategies for patients leading. A second grant in 2022 from the Foundation for $30,000 was granted to the Radiation Oncology department at SCGH to support the team as the look to see how 3D printing can improve brachytherapy treatments for gynaecological cancer treatments. The Foundation is very proud to have provided support to the Radiation Oncology team and helped them deliver real improvements for patients experiencing cancer. This support is only possible because of the generosity of our supporters, so we thank you and look forward to providing further updates on this ongoing work to improve patient outcomes with radiation treatment.

Gift that ke With people like you beside us Kirs Between 2016 to 2019, Kirsten “We have nothing but the highest Collins, a loving wife, sister, and admiration and praise for the daughter, was admitted three incredible work done by the Charlies separate times to SCGH Intensive ICU team in what were extremely Care Unit (ICU) with different difficult circumstances” said Tony medical conditions, twice relying on Collins, Kirsten’s husband. total life support. The selfless gift from the Collins During this terrifying period in family resulted in the creation of her life, it was the support of the a ground-breaking website SCGH doctors, nurses and staff www.mylifeaftericu.com, launched that helped Kirsten and her family late 2022. The MyLifeAfterICU comprehend her ICU journey and website provides resources for new life when she was discharged. patients and their families who have survived being critically unwell When Kirsten sadly passed away in and treated in Intensive Care and August 2019, her devastated family has sections for children, adults, were determined to create a legacy and their families. This is the first dedicated to Kirsten’s memory. resource of its kind for patients, and its already making a difference ten Collins across Australia and New Zealand. “We hope the information provided on this website is of help to many other families.” A gift in memory to medical research here at Charlies Foundation for Research could help change and save lives, much the way the Collins family’s has.

eep on Giving s, can change and save lives Leaving a gift in your Will to medical Professor Ralph Martins, research is a powerful way to Head of Research at AARF said, create a lasting legacy that has the “the generous grant (from the power to change and save lives for Foundation) greatly contributed to generations to come. A gift of any our WA Memory Study by allowing size will help transform patient care. investigation of biomarkers in blood, cerebral spinal fluid and brain Through scalable grants provided imaging, which had so far been by Charlies Foundation for limited due to funding restrictions.” Research, your gift can provide relevant and effective care for more Preliminary analysis of the data from West Australians. the study indicates some exciting results, with a more thorough Just like the amazing legacy gift analysis being conducted to prepare left by Robert and Mitzi Robinson. the findings for publication. Once Their incredible gift was put published, the results will be towards ground-breaking available to researchers worldwide. Alzheimer’s research led by Australian Alzheimer’s Research Thanks to the amazing gift left in Foundation (AARF). their Will, Robert and Mitzi’s legacy lives on. Make your legacy one Alzheimer’s disease results in a of better patient care for future significant decline in the ability to generations. For more information undertake daily living activities. on how to include the Foundation in It is the leading cause of death in your Will contact our friendly team Australian women and the second on (08) 6457 2042 or cause of death in men – currently [email protected]. there is no cure but thanks to the generosity of Robert and Mitzi, Robert and Mitzi Robinson cutting edge research is being carried out. The collaboration between AARF and the Foundation has allowed the two organisations to work together, sharing knowledge and experience, in a project that is making significant advances in discovering the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease, with the potential to lead to the development of drug targets.

Ways to Give There are so many ways you can give back. With generous people like yourself, the projects mentioned wouldn’t have the vital funding they need, but our fight isn’t over yet! We are always grateful for the support we receive through a variety of avenues including: • Gifts in Wills • Regular Giving • Gifts in Memory • Workplace Giving • One-off Donations • Corporate Partnership • Purchases at our • Participation Events SCGH Office • Buying Raffle Tickets • Gift in Lieu of • Hosting a Fundraising Flowers Event on our behalf. • Gifts in Celebration Contact Us PO Box 240, Nedlands WA 6909 P: (08) 6457 2042 E: [email protected] W: charliesfoundation.org.au