Press / Opinion: DomPost

Jemima’s selfless campaign

Dominion Post — letter to the editor. Printed on October 7, 2021.
Written and submitted by Chris Tse, Chair of Brain Tumour Support NZ.

The story of Wellington teenager Jemima Gazley (Jemima’s selfless pledge, October 5) is both heart-wrenching and inspiring in equal measure. However, underlying this brave young woman’s pledge to help others while facing her own grim prognosis are several stark facts which should be cause for concern.

First, it is not widely known that brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children in New Zealand, being responsibile for 38% of all childhood cancer deaths (the next largest is leukaemia with 25%).

Second, figures from the Health Research Council show that brain cancer receives some of the lowest research funding among all cancer types, receiving less than $500,000 over a 14 year period. In start contract, the Australian Brain Cancer Mission receives $140 million over 10 years. It is no wonder that Jemima has chosen an Australian brain cancer researcher to fundraise for.

Third, that Jemima’s parents have had to scour the world for an experimental treatment to help their daughter shows that our doctors do not have the armamentarium to treat brain cancer patients. Yet very few clinicians are invovled in reserach and there are cery few clinicial trials available to brain cancer patients.

Jemima’s selfless campaign will help find a cure, but just as importantly, it is shining a light on brain cancer which too often lives in the shadows.