News – Carrie's Beanies 4 Brain Cancer

08 May '16

Our first grant of $250,000

Posted by Carrie Bickmore

I am really excited to announce that we have made our first grant of 250 thousand dollars for Brain Cancer research. The money is going towards a project being undertaken by the Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuroscience Foundation.

The research is aiming to develop a simple, rapid and cheap blood test for brain cancer. At present the only way of diagnosing and monitoring these tumours is through MRl's and they can't provide information about what is happening in the cells within the tumour. If doctors can see the activity in the cells they can see if the treatments are working and if the cancer is still alive, without waiting till the next MRI is done.

Professor Andrew Kaye from the Neuroscience Foundation says the grant is a game changer for them. This would not be possible without all your support. Brain Cancer kills more people under 40 than any other cancer and kills more children in this country than any other disease, so I am more determined than ever to reach my goal of raising 1 million dollars.

29 Apr '16

Brain Beats 2015

Posted by Carrie Bickmore

As soon as Passenger started strumming the opening chord of Let Her Go, I instantly knew it was going to be a very special day.

Margaret Court Arena looked incredible, with the tyres hanging from the roof, the greenery scattered around, the food and drink stations and hundreds of smiling faces. It was the perfect setting for some of the world's biggest acts to crank out some of their best songs to an intimate crowd who were celebrating life and standing together in defiance of brain cancer.

As Passenger rolled into Bliss n Eso and Bliss n Eso became Rudimental, Vance Joy and eventually Ed Sheeran it was so rewarding to see so many people enjoying themselves. But, it was also incredibly emotional. Some people had come to see their favourite singers, others to show their support to a great cause but there were many who were there because their lives have been irrevocably changed by this horrible disease. The power of great music may have allowed sufferers, carers and loved ones to forget, just for a fleeting second how difficult their life is, but the reality is that when the music stopped, people had to return to their lives and face the card they'd been dealt.

I hope BrainBeats can become a powerful and positive symbol of our ability to come together and fight. Fight for those who are suffering, fight for those who care for them and fight for those we've already lost.

Thankyou!

Carrie