What is the Fight Cancer Foundation?
The Fight Cancer Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to providing care, treatment and support for cancer patients and their families – as well as providing funds for research into better treatment methods and to ultimately find a cure for leukaemia and other cancers.
The Foundation relies on the support of the community, donors, volunteers, governments, corporate partners and all Australians to continue its life-saving work.
Originally known as the Bone Marrow Donor Institute, it was founded in 1989 by a group of families who had experienced first-hand the devastation of leukaemia. Its primary aim was to establish a bone marrow donor registry, to give children and others a second chance of life.
In following years, the Institute broadened its scope to include a number of programs that support patients with leukaemia and other cancers.
These programs included:
- Increasing awareness of the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry and encouraging donors from diverse ethnic backgrounds, who are under-represented on the registry to join
- Continuing to encourage pregnant women to donate their umbilical cord blood to the BMDI Cord Blood Bank, which provides rich stem cells for the treatment of leukaemia in children and adults
- Funding research into better treatment methods and to find a cure for cancer
- Providing support groups for patients, families and carers
- Providing accommodation for patients and their families – from rural, interstate and overseas, during their long-term treatment
- Helping children fighting cancer get "back on track" after treatment or surgery, by providing educational support programs
For more information please visit the Fight Cancer Foundation website.
