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Positive news for injured WA police officer in Croatia

<p>A fundraiser set up for a WA police officer who was injured in an<a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/police-officer-in-critical-condition-after-terrifying-cliff-fall" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> unfortunate cliff fall </a>reached its $500,000 target. </p> <p>Ella Cutler was left fighting for her life after falling off a cliff top while on vacation in Croatia, and her loved ones set up a GoFundMe to help pay for her medical bills and bring her home via air ambulance. </p> <p>Now, Ella is out of the ICU with horrific injuries to her body, including her head and spine.</p> <p>Her friends and family members have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support from strangers who donated, and said that Ella still has a "long road" to recovery, with many surgeries to go. </p> <p>"There's been people that have donated, which is just so heartwarming to see Ella's story has really touched them," friend and fellow police officer Constable Dani Morrison said. </p> <p>"They've never met her and they still donated."</p> <p>Ella will undergo another surgery next week before she can fly home to Perth. </p> <p>Ella, and a 34-year-old Australian man were both injured after they fell 10 metres from a cliff near Fort Lovrijenac, in the Dubrovnik suburb of Piles on August 26.</p> <p>Her family have asked for donations after revealing that Ella's travel insurance denied her claim. </p> <p>As of today, the <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-us-bring-ella-home#xd_co_f=NDIzY2U3YjUtNTQ2Yi00MjhjLWEwNTMtNGNhZTMyZmNiMzc0~" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> has raised $517,125. </p> <p><em>Image: WA Police</em></p>

Caring

People thinking of voluntary assisted dying may be able to donate their organs. We need to start talking about this

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/robert-ray-1441988">Robert Ray</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em></p> <p>The number of people needing an organ transplant vastly outweighs the number of organs available.</p> <p><a href="https://www.donatelife.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-02/OTA%202022%20Donation%20and%20Transplantation%20Activity%20Report.pdf">In 2022</a> there were about 1,800 Australians waiting for an organ but only about 1,200 people received an organ transplant.</p> <p>But in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/imj.16085">a recent paper</a>, I outline one unexplored option for increasing the number of potential organ donors in Australia – transplanting organs from people undergoing voluntary assisted dying. This would involve transplanting organs only after someone had died.</p> <p>It’s estimated <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2616383">about 10%</a> of people eligible for voluntary assisted dying are likely to be medically suitable to donate their organs. Based on <a href="https://www.safercare.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-09/Voluntary%20Assisted%20Dying%20Review%20Board%20Report%20of%20Operations%20July%202021-June%2022_FINAL.pdf">Victorian figures</a> alone, this could lead to about an extra 40 potential organ donors each year.</p> <p>This type of organ donation has taken place <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9297969/">for more than 20 years</a> in Europe, and more recently in Canada.</p> <p>Organs transplanted from donors undergoing voluntary assisted dying <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/article-abstract/2769118">have</a> <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajt.16267">similar</a> <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajt.16971">success rates</a> to more traditional donations.</p> <p>Yet, this is a discussion we’ve yet to have in Australia. Here are some of the ethical and practical issues we need to start talking about.</p> <h2>Is this ethical? It’s tricky</h2> <p>The main ethical challenge is ensuring a person isn’t motivated to end their life prematurely so they can donate their organs.</p> <p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajt.13746">Internationally</a>, <a href="https://jme.bmj.com/content/42/8/486.short">this challenge</a> is mainly addressed by having <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1600613523000291">independent assessments</a> by multiple doctors. This is to ensure the motivation is genuine and honest, much like assessing someone before voluntary assisted dying.</p> <p>Similarly, it is important the doctor of someone undergoing voluntary assisted dying isn’t persuading them to donate an organ. This means any doctor overseeing voluntary assisted dying may be limited in how much they can discuss organ donation with their patient.</p> <p>Again, this <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajt.13746">has been managed internationally</a> by having separate, independent doctors overseeing organ donation and voluntary assisted dying, <a href="https://www.cmaj.ca/content/190/44/E1305.short">without one influencing</a> the other.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528192/original/file-20230525-27-sjwdaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528192/original/file-20230525-27-sjwdaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528192/original/file-20230525-27-sjwdaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528192/original/file-20230525-27-sjwdaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528192/original/file-20230525-27-sjwdaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528192/original/file-20230525-27-sjwdaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528192/original/file-20230525-27-sjwdaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528192/original/file-20230525-27-sjwdaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Elderly woman in bed hand on covers" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Is this what people really want, with so little time left?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/senior-woman-laying-on-bed-hospital-1054837748">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Organ donation may also affect the way voluntary assisted dying is conducted, which <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1600613523000291">may impact</a> participants’ very limited quality of life.</p> <p>That’s because determining if someone is eligible to donate an organ involves a number of <a href="https://jme.bmj.com/content/43/9/601.short">investigations</a>. These may include blood tests, radiology (imaging) and numerous clinical encounters to exclude diseases such as cancer, which would prevent someone donating their organs. These investigations may be exhausting but necessary.</p> <p>This burden must be weighed against the participant’s wishes and motivation to donate their organs. So people must also be informed of the impact organ donation will have on their limited life left.</p> <p>The choices of people considering this option must be respected and they must be given multiple opportunities to review their decision, without undue influence or bias.</p> <h2>Practical issues: coordination, location, regulation</h2> <p>Practically, combining organ donation and voluntary assisted dying is <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajt.13746">challenging</a>. This includes the difficulty organising and coordinating specialists in organ donation, voluntary assisted dying and transplantation.</p> <p>This is why, internationally, organ donation of this nature mostly occurs in large hospitals, where it’s easier to coordinate.</p> <p>So if people want to donate an organ this way, they may spend their last moments in an unfamiliar environment.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528195/original/file-20230525-15-irsqg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528195/original/file-20230525-15-irsqg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528195/original/file-20230525-15-irsqg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528195/original/file-20230525-15-irsqg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528195/original/file-20230525-15-irsqg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528195/original/file-20230525-15-irsqg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528195/original/file-20230525-15-irsqg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528195/original/file-20230525-15-irsqg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Patient being wheeled on stretcher through hospital corridors" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">People may have to be moved to a large hospital with the facilities and staff on hand.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/surgeon-assistant-team-transport-move-stretcher-2062330820">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Efforts have been made <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/article-abstract/2776765">internationally</a> to prioritise these valuable last moments by giving people the choice of where voluntary assisted dying occurs (<a href="https://www.cmaj.ca/content/190/44/E1305.short">such as their home</a>). But this currently only occurs in a minority of cases and increases the complexity of organ donation.</p> <p>Regulating the process is also essential to developing a safe, trustworthy and effective program. Ideally a centralised organisation such as Australia’s national <a href="https://www.donatelife.gov.au">Organ and Tissue Authority</a> would organise, undertake and regulate this.</p> <p>However, this may be challenging given voluntary assisted dying practices are specific to each state.</p> <h2>The challenges ahead</h2> <p>If someone considering voluntary assisted dying wants to donate their organs and is deemed eligible, there is currently <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/imj.16085">no legal barrier in Australia</a> to stop them.</p> <p>What might prevent them is how their doctor responds, and whether there are the services and organisations willing to fulfil this request ethically and practically.</p> <p>The next step in considering this form of organ donation is to discuss the prospect publicly.</p> <p>Every extra donated organ is potentially lifesaving. So we should make every effort to consider potential safe and ethical ways to increase donation and transplantation rates.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206298/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/robert-ray-1441988">Robert Ray</a>, Affiliate Associate Lecturer, School of Medicine, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/people-thinking-of-voluntary-assisted-dying-may-be-able-to-donate-their-organs-we-need-to-start-talking-about-this-206298">original article</a>.</em></p>

Body

Indigenous artist seeking white Australian to donate their “future deceased body” to an art installation

<p dir="ltr">An Indigenous artist has put a call out for Australians of “British descent” to donate their “future deceased body” to an art installation. </p> <p dir="ltr">Nathan Maynard, a well known Palawa artist and playwright, put an advertisement for the unusual request in the weekend edition of The Age newspaper.</p> <p dir="ltr">Maynard signed the bizarre request as a “palawa” artist: one of the terms First Nations people from Tasmania use when referring to themselves. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Palawa artist wanting to find an Australian of British descent who is willing to donate their future deceased body to an art installation,” the notice read. </p> <p dir="ltr">“The work will speak to sacrifice for past sins perpetrated against the palawa. Potential applicants should see this opportunity as an honour.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“The body and memory of the successful applicant will be treated with the utmost respect at all stages of the project.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The call-out was quick to spark backlash when it was reposted on social media, with one writing, “You can’t just obtain bodies for display in newspapers now. This is very bizarre on multiple levels.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Others questioned the legality of the request, with one person writing, “I dunno that this would be legal, tampering with a corpse is a crime! You can donate your body to medical science, but I don’t think this.” </p> <p dir="ltr">Another wrote, “Borderline psychotic, definitely completely illegal.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite the criticism, Mr Maynard told Daily Mail Australia that since the notice went to print, he has received half a dozen applications for their body to be used in the installation in November. </p> <p dir="ltr">The artist said if white Australians are upset by the request, they should ask themselves why they didn't have the same reaction to the mass murder of Aboriginal people. </p> <p dir="ltr">“If you’re not an Aboriginal person and you’re upset by this, I think you should ask yourself why you’re not upset that there is still First Nations remains that have been stolen from their people, stolen from their country in institutions all around the world that are still not repatriated to their own communities,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Nathan said the motivation behind his installation revolves around the fact that thousands of First Nations people were killed by colonists, with their remains being sent overseas to be displayed in institutions and museums without a proper ceremony. </p> <p dir="ltr">“So many Aboriginal people's remains are still overseas. People are trying to bring their ancestors home and they are being denied that right,” Mr Maynard said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Human bodies are very sacred and they should be treated with respect.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Whitefellas obviously don't know how to handle remains with respect, so I'm going to show them how,” he said. </p> <p dir="ltr">The artwork has already received support from the state-funded Tasmanian Museum and Gallery and the Hobart City Council, which has donated $15,000 to the unusual installation.</p> <p dir="ltr">The artwork has been commissioned to appear as part of an exhibition for the popular Hobart Current biennial exhibition in November 2023. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Facebook / The Age</em></p>

Art

Emotional moment father discovers his daughter's ultimate act of selflessness

<p>A woman has shared the emotional moment her father discovered she was the one who anonymously donated her kidney to help him fight kidney disease.</p> <p>John Ivanowski, a 60-year-old man from Missouri in the US, was diagnosed with an immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency, which saw his immune system attack his kidneys, more than a year ago.</p> <p>John was placed on dialysis for his condition, and ended up on the transplant list to replace his kidney. </p> <p>When the Ivanowski family began discussing the transplant options, his 25-year-old daughter Delayne was determined to help give her father a better quality of life by donating her kidney. </p> <p>John had lost his son and Delayne's only sibling to cancer 16 years ago, and was resistant to his daughter becoming his kidney donor.</p> <p>"I thought, I lost my boy and if anything happened to Delayne, I don't know what I would do," he told <a href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/wellness/story/daughter-surprises-dad-kidney-donor-97494470" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">ABC News</a>, adding, "It was a big concern."</p> <p>Despite her father's protests, Delayne, who works as a nurse, knew John would remain on the transplant list if she did not volunteer her kidney. </p> <p>Delayne said, "I don't think that's any way that anybody should have to live."</p> <p>She added, "I was like, 'I'm going to do it. I don't care how mad he is at me. I don't care if he kicks me out of the house or hates me or doesn't say a word to me for the rest of my life.'"</p> <p>"At least he'll be living a good life and not hooked up to a machine."</p> <p>Delayne then secretly went through the months-long approval process to become her dad's kidney donor, which meant getting endless medical tests, and fielding dozens of calls with social workers and medical staff, all while living under her parents' roof.</p> <p>John then underwent his surgery at Washington University And Barnes-Jewish Transplant Center in St Louis, with hospital staff working hard to keep Delayne's secret.</p> <p>Jason Wellen, who is the centre's kidney and pancreas transplant surgical director and John's doctor, said the staff had to do a lot of "behind-the-scenes" work to make sure the father and daughter were kept in separate pre-op areas, and had to ensure they didn't spot each other in post-op as well to maintain secrecy until Delayne was ready to break the news to John.</p> <p>And when she did, the emotional moment was captured on video. </p> <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px; max-width: 100%; outline: none !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7203398361297440046&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40hoperisesnews%2Fvideo%2F7203398361297440046%3Fq%3Ddelayne%26t%3D1677630976317&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-useast5-p-0068-tx%2F63835bef2c2c4873aace09811331bf14%3Fx-expires%3D1677650400%26x-signature%3DNEPi6l8%252FIQn4tNRL%252FGqtrGDpkcw%253D&key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> <p>Filming the emotional moment she walked into her dad's hospital room hooked up to an IV drip after the surgery, John immediately knew what had happened without Delayne saying a word.</p> <p>"Oh my God. Are you kidding me?" he says in the video, which was posted to TikTok and has been viewed more than four million times. </p> <p>An emotional John then tells his daughter, "I knew you were up to something," to which she cheekily responds, "I'm always up to something."</p> <p>Despite initially being "upset", John said he was grateful for his daughter's selfless act and it was a "big relief" not to be "hooked up to the machine anymore".</p> <p>"I can't stop crying," he added.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook</em></p>

Caring

Prince Harry believes he was born to offer spare organs to his brother

<p>Prince Harry has shared that he believes he was only bred to offer spare organs to his brother, Prince William. </p> <p>In yet another bitter revelation from the Duke of Sussex's memoir <em>Spare</em>, he revealed that he thinks he was only brought into the world in case the heir apparent needed help. </p> <p>“Two years older than me, Willy was the Heir, whereas I was the Spare,” the exiled prince wrote, explaining the title of his memoir, which was officially released on Wednesday.</p> <p>“I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B. I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy,” he wrote of his brother and current heir to the throne.</p> <p>He said he understood his role was to be a “diversion” and “distraction” from his brother, or to provide, “if necessary, a spare part” to him.</p> <p>“Kidney, perhaps. Blood transfusion. Speck of bone marrow,” he added in morose detail.</p> <p>He also shared how his dad, now King Charles III, could never be on a plane with his elder son, William, “because there must be no chance of the first and second in line to the throne being wiped out”.</p> <p>“But no one gave a damn whom I travelled with; the Spare could always be spared,” Harry claimed.</p> <p>“This was all made explicitly clear to me from the start of life’s journey and regularly reinforced thereafter,” he claimed of his apparent throwaway standing in the family.</p> <p>Harry complained that the heir and spare clarification “wasn’t merely how the press referred to us”, but was also “the shorthand used by” his royal family, including “Mummy,” the late Princess Diana, “and even Granny,” the since-deceased Queen Elizabeth II.</p> <p>He wrote that when he was 20-years-old, he was told that his father reacted to his birth by saying to Princess Diana, “Wonderful! Now you’ve given me an Heir and a Spare — my work is done.”</p> <p>Despite naming his memoir Spare, and using his clear distaste for his role in life to justify his ultimate split from his family, Harry maintains that he was initially accepting of it.</p> <p>“I took no offence, I felt nothing about it, any of it,” he wrote — initially acknowledging his incredibly privileged life.</p> <p>“Every boy and girl, at least once, imagines themselves as a prince or a princess. Therefore, Spare or no Spare, it wasn’t half bad to actually be one,” he conceded.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

“Such lowlifes”: Alleged thieves steal charity donation tin

<p dir="ltr">Two people are wanted by police over the theft of a charity donation bin captured on CCTV.</p> <p dir="ltr">The footage shows a man and woman standing next to each other inside the Gold Coast’s Club Helensvale on Friday, November 25, when he allegedly steals the tin for a charity aimed at preventing youth violence.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the video, released by police in an appeal to find the pair, the man is seen subtly and slowly placing it in a bag slung across his shoulder.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police are urging the man and woman to come forward.</p> <p dir="ltr">The tin that was allegedly stolen was collecting donations for the Jack Beasley Foundation, set up after 17-year-old Jack Beasley died from being stabbed in the heart on the Gold Coast.</p> <p dir="ltr">The charity has also shared an image of the suspected thieves on social media in a bid to identify them.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Hey guys if anyone recognises these two please contact the QPS or send us a message. They stole Jacko’s Donation box from the bar at Club Helensvale on Friday night. Thanks 🙏,” the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JackBeasleyFoundation/posts/pfbid0fgzrLvGVinZfzjqEweJfTqr3RbMKvnT4qHjDcKvUW5Xw1KascA7AiAmDqToEnbqsl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> read.</p> <p dir="ltr">Followers were quick to share their anger in the comments, with some providing information about where they had seen the man before.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Such lowlifes maybe they should get a job instead of stealing from charities,” one person wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I hope they get found, shame on them,” another said.</p> <p dir="ltr">One commenter even alleged that the man had committed similar acts before, stealing the “dog donation box” from the Boathouse Tavern in Coomera “the other day”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Stealing from charity is pitiful and devious! They may have taken dollars and cents, but they have no sense,” another said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ab4e272a-7fff-e469-d984-7a5612774b3e"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Queensland Police Service</em></p>

Legal

“I’ve got some good news for you”: Tracy Grimshaw's generous final gesture

<p dir="ltr">Tracy Grimshaw has <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/tracy-grimshaw-s-most-memorable-hosting-moments">ended her time on <em>A Current Affair</em></a> with her trademark generosity and gave a much-needed boost to a local community ravaged by recent floods.</p> <p dir="ltr">The TV host and journalist presented the town of Eugowra with a $50,000 donation from Coles, which will go to Givit’s Eugowra Flood Appeal and be used by the community to pay for fuel, groceries and hardware.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think I have got some good news for you.” Grimshaw told locals Amanda Mongan and Judd McKenna. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Aaron Ralph from Coles is standing off to the side there, Aaron would you like to come in (to the shot) because I think you’re about to make everyone’s day.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The Coles regional manager proceeded to give the large cheque to Mongan and McKenna, to the cheers of locals standing behind them.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Here at Coles, we love to look after our communities that we serve and Eugowra is in the heartland of our region out here in the Central West," Ralph said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d857059f-7fff-cf3e-b8bc-27621bb68e60"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“We’ve come out last week and saw the devastation and it was really, really heartbreaking. We dropped off a delivery of essential goods and today we just wanted to go again and we want to kick off the Eugowra Flood Appeal with a massive $50,000 donation to the community.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/eugowra.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: A Current Affair</em></p> <p dir="ltr">After receiving the good news, McKenna grabbed Ralph for a heartfelt hug.</p> <p dir="ltr">When asked how they would use the money, McKenna said it would go back into the community.</p> <p dir="ltr">“These people that stand behind us here are the backbone of the community,” he said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“If this can help them in any way possible, some goods, whatever (they) need to get back on their feet, this is what it’s going to be used for.</p> <p dir="ltr">“These people have lost everything - their houses, houses have floated away, they’ve got nothing. But look at this spirit behind us.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Earlier in the segment, McKenna and Mongan spoke about what it was like during the floods and how their homes and businesses have been affected.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mongan, who has lived in Eugowra her whole life, watched her hairdressing salon go under and waited for eight hours on the roof of her home with her family before being rescued</p> <p dir="ltr">“You’re not the only one who did that, are you?” Grimshaw asked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Oh god no, we were one of the lucky ones, we were slightly safer than the other people in the full force of the carnage,” Mongan said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was just any general flood, we were downtown helping people pack up and next minute, a wall of water came.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We’d moved our cars and ran back to the house for a few things, and tried to get our kids down the back lane to the evacuation centre at the school and we nearly got washed away, and luckily we have a big solid house that stopped the water a bit, so it rose slower.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And then we just realised, ‘Oh my god, it’s going to go over our heads, we need to get up on our roof’, and from up there we could see houses moving. It was just unimaginable, really can’t describe it.”</p> <p dir="ltr">McKenna, who owns two cafes in town, was swept away in the water while trying to get others to safety and his businesses were damaged.</p> <p dir="ltr">The pair said donations were sorely needed to help the community recover and thanked those who had already given funds, time and help in other ways.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The kindness and generosity has been incredible," Mongan said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And we don't know how we will ever thank those kind people."</p> <p dir="ltr">The episode marked the end of Grimshaw’s 17-year tenure as the show’s host, after <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/tracy-grimshaw-s-huge-news">she made the shock announcement</a> that she would be stepping down from the show’s top spot in early September.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-041713fc-7fff-1564-75d0-03360b7d2bb4"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: A Current Affair</em></p>

Caring

Paul Green’s brain donated to science

<p dir="ltr">Paul Green’s brain has been donated to the Australian Sports Brain Bank to help with science. </p> <p dir="ltr">The legendary coach and former player Paul Green was just 49 when he <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/rugby-league-icon-dead-at-49" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was found dead</a> at his home in Brisbane on August 11. </p> <p dir="ltr">It is confirmed that the father-of-two died from suicide. </p> <p dir="ltr">His family has now confirmed that his brain will be donated to the <a href="https://www.mycause.com.au/page/290298/in-memory-of-paul-green" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Sports Brain Bank</a> to help aid research into concussion-related condition chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) - a common injury amongst NRL players due to the nature of the game. </p> <p dir="ltr">"In memory of our beloved Paul, we ask that you support the pioneering work of the Australian Sports Brain Bank,” their post read.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Paul was known for always looking out for others. We are proud that part of his legacy will be looking out for the brain health of all others involved in the game that he loved.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Amanda, Emerson and Jed."</p> <p dir="ltr">They are hoping to raise $150,000 to help with the research. </p> <p dir="ltr">Michael Buckland, the director of the Australian Sports Brain Bank, thanked Green’s family for their donation.</p> <p dir="ltr">"This is an incredibly generous donation and will be an invaluable part of our research into the long-term effects of repetitive head impacts in sport and elsewhere," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We at the Australian Sports Brain Bank are blown away by the fact that in their time of grief, Amanda and the rest of the family thought of how they could help others."</p> <p dir="ltr">Green had an incredible NRL career, playing 162 first grade matches between 1994-2004 and winning the prestigious Rothmans Medal in 1995 as the game's best and fairest.</p> <p dir="ltr">He played for several different clubs including Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, North Queensland Cowboys, Sydney Roosters, Parramatta Eels and the Brisbane Broncos.</p> <p dir="ltr">Green eventually swapped his playing boots to coaching ones as he took on the North Queensland Cowboys from 2014-2020.</p> <p dir="ltr">If you would like to donate to the research, click <a href="https://www.mycause.com.au/page/290298/in-memory-of-paul-green" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>If you are experiencing a personal crisis or thinking about suicide, you can call Lifeline 131 114 or beyondblue 1300 224 636 or visit <a href="https://www.lifeline.org.au/">lifeline.org.au</a> or <a href="https://www.beyondblue.org.au/">beyondblue.org.au</a>.</strong></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Australian Sports Brain Bank</em></p>

Body

Anne Heche to be taken off life support

<p dir="ltr">US actress Anne Heche will be taken off life support days after she was reported to be brain dead.</p> <p dir="ltr">The decision comes after the 53-year-old was matched with an organ recipient, per CNN, in line with her wishes, after Heche was pulled out of her burning car, which she had <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/actress-fighting-for-her-life-after-horror-car-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">driven into an LA home</a> while driving 104 km/h on August 5.</p> <p dir="ltr">Heche's publicist broke the news that the <em>Six Days, Seven Nights</em> star was "not expected to survive" on Friday, revealing that Heche had "suffered a severe anoxic brain injury".</p> <p dir="ltr">“We have lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend,” her spokesperson told <em>Page Six</em> at the time.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Anne will be deeply missed but she lives on through her beautiful sons, her iconic body of work, and her passionate advocacy.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-02f14bcd-7fff-85ab-3ecc-d0d822147ddc"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“Her bravery for always standing in her truth, spreading her message of love and acceptance, will continue to have a lasting impact.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdUqTdKLo6E/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdUqTdKLo6E/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Anne Heche (@anneheche)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The following day, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said in a statement that the investigation into the crash would not move forward.</p> <p dir="ltr">"As of today, there will be no further investigative efforts made in this case," the LAPD said in a statement to <em><a href="https://pagesix.com/2022/08/14/anne-heche-police-investigation-dismissed-following-stars-death/?_ga=2.230917663.184706205.1660479883-1122528718.1567945808" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Page Six</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Any information or records that have been requested prior to this turn of events will still be collected as they arrive as a matter of formalities and included in the overall case.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When a person suspected of a crime expires, we do not present for filing consideration.”</p> <p dir="ltr">After the results for Heche’s blood test following the crash <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/anne-heche-s-blood-test-results-revealed-after-horror-smash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detected “the presence of drugs” in her system</a>, police investigations escalated to a “preliminary” felony DUI.</p> <p dir="ltr">Gossip magazine <em>TMZ </em>reported on August 10 that the investigation was escalated after a woman claimed she was injured and needed medical assistance due to Heche crashing into her home.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-7a45620a-7fff-a523-348f-68564680d4f2"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">However, an LAPD public information officer told <em>Page Six</em> that the felony was preliminary due to pending further toxicology testing.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChKkPVLukOi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChKkPVLukOi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by James Tupper (@mrjamestupper)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Heche, who never regained consciousness after the crash, is survived by her 13-year-old son Atlas, who she shares with actor James Trupper, as well as her 20-year-old son Homer, shared with ex-husband Coleman Laffoon.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-661f6c10-7fff-c097-316a-6f5c947cb84c"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">On Saturday, Tupper shared a sweet tribute to his late wife to Instagram, posting a single photo of Heche along with the caption: “love you forever 💔”.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChLAEgaPFFF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChLAEgaPFFF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Coley Laffoon (@coleylaffoon)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Laffoon took to social media to wish his ex-wife peace on her journey, sharing a throwback photo of Heche with their son as a baby.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s important to remember the real love in the best times. Thank you Anne. Peace on your journey,” he wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-dd5ef628-7fff-d8e9-c738-71dae7ec97e9"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @anneheche (Instagram)</em></p>

News

How Heath Ledger inspired Johnny Depp’s donation to Australian hospital

<p dir="ltr">Johnny Depp has made a significant donation to an Australian children’s hospital, as part of a larger $1.17 million gift to charities around the world.</p> <p dir="ltr">The sum comes from the sale of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) - digital assets that represent real-life products such as art and video games - which Depp raised through his NFT community, Never Fear Truth.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e5849e45-7fff-f569-d5d9-a9750f426720"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Depp’s donation will be split between the Perth Children’s Hospital, UK-based Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and Robert Downey Jr’s Footprint Coalition, which fundraises for non-profit organisations that focus on environmental sustainability.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/PCHFWA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PCHFWA</a> Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation (via CAF America)<a href="https://twitter.com/GOSHCharity?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GOSHCharity</a> Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (via CAF America)<a href="https://twitter.com/fp_coalition?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fp_coalition</a> The Footprint Coalition<a href="https://twitter.com/ChildrensLA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChildrensLA</a> The Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA)</p> <p>— Never Fear Truth (@JohnnyDeppNFT) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnnyDeppNFT/status/1544413863839514625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Johnny Depp’s Never Fear Truth NFT sale was always intended to benefit charities and we are pleased to be able to confirm that nearly $800,000 ($AUD 1.17 million) in total donations have been contributed,” Never Fear Truth tweeted.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation issued a statement thanking the actor for his donation.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Thank you so much for your generosity in helping support PCHFWA and WA sick kids,” the organisation wrote on Twitter. </p> <p dir="ltr">“These funds will make a significant impact in helping keep (Perth Children’s Hospital) world-class for our children and families.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Many fans praised Depp’s acts of kindness, and it turns out that his choice to support the West Australian hospital is particularly special.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-4e18ba45-7fff-2408-772d-b7792f5e3e27"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Part of the money raised through Depp’s NFT community came from the sale of an NFT depicting his painting of late actor Heath Ledger, who grew up in Perth.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CbkRwlgDle1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CbkRwlgDle1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Never Fear Truth (@johnnydeppnft)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Carrie Robinson, the CEO of PCHFWA, told <em>The West Australian</em> that Ledger’s family had nominated the hospital as the recipient of the money raised from the painting’s sale.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s great to see the legacy of Heath Ledger continuing to make an impact on the WA community,” Robinson said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other paintings included in the sale include portraits of Depp, his daughter Lily Rose, his friend and late actor River Phoenix, and Hollywood legends such as Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and Elizabeth Taylor.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ve always used art to express my feelings and to reflect on those who matter most to me, like my family, friends and people I admire,” Depp said when he offered his paintings publicly for the first time.</p> <p dir="ltr">“My paintings surround my life, but I kept them to myself and limited myself.</p> <p dir="ltr">“No-one should ever limit themselves.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-7a46deee-7fff-39d9-efa7-f32189b75097"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty Images / Instagram</em></p>

Caring

Man donates blood an incredible 600 times

<p dir="ltr">A man has made an extraordinary accomplishment of saving more than 1,800 lives after donating blood 600 times. </p> <p dir="ltr">Bruce from Port Macquarie was egged on by his Aunty Mary after she had donated blood 70 times saying he would not be able to do as much as she did.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, Bruce being Bruce, he decided to accept his aunt's challenge and went ahead to donate blood. </p> <p dir="ltr">“My Aunty Mary told me she had done 70 donations, and that I would never catch her,” he said. “Smart lady, that one and the challenge was accepted.” </p> <p dir="ltr">Bruce, 60, now skateboards to an Australian Red Cross donation centre every fortnight to give generously. </p> <p dir="ltr">Since starting his blood donation, Bruce has become the first person in Port Macquarie – and one of only 60 people in Australia – to have donated blood a whopping 600 times.</p> <p dir="ltr">All those blood donations have contributed to saving the lives of up to 1,800 people including new mothers, babies, cancer patients and trauma sufferers. </p> <p dir="ltr">When asked for advice and encouragement on the process of donating, Bruce explained that it was a rewarding experience.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The vampires at [Lifeblood] are lovely and it doesn't hurt much at all, so I encourage others to put something back, roll up your sleeves and save a life,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Bruce commended his Aunty Mary, saying that without her support he would not have reached the incredible milestone.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Australian Red Cross Lifeblood </em></p> <p> </p>

Body

Aussie with terminal cancer uses time left to make her mark

<p dir="ltr">An Australian researcher who has been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer is busy making plans for when she’s gone - including a contribution she hopes will help advance research in animal studies.</p> <p dir="ltr">Siobhan O’Sullivan was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer in July 2020, finding out within a year that the cancer had spread and that her illness was terminal.</p> <p dir="ltr">“In the week prior to my diagnosis, I was starting to say to people, ‘I’m not feeling right - I think it’s stress because Dad’s going to die soon’,” she told <em><a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/a-silent-killer-has-left-her-terminally-ill-now-this-aussie-woman-has-a-simple-message-c-6854866" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The week before dad died, I went to the doctor and said, ‘Something’s not right’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">During her treatments Siobhan suffered multiple strokes - an unexpected side effect - but even extensive treatment couldn’t stop the cancer from spreading.</p> <p dir="ltr">“That was a huge blow for me because a lot of women at that point do get some remission time,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m now at 19 months, which means I’m on borrowed time.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Though she’s living with death, Siobhan has maintained her humour and optimism, as well as her advocacy for ovarian cancer and the legalisation of voluntary assisted dying.</p> <p dir="ltr">She also began making plans, divesting her property and funds to her niece, nephew, godson and his sister, and ensuring her podcast is in good hands once she’s gone.</p> <p dir="ltr">Siobhan has also bequeathed $50,000 to the Australisian Animal Studies Association (AASA), which she is a founder of, and is helpling to establish two awards for future researchers.</p> <p dir="ltr">She is an associate professor of politics at Sydney’s University of New South Wales and was extremely involved in research around animal studies and her other passion, the alleviation of social issues related to poverty.</p> <p dir="ltr">Thanks to her donation, the AASA is offering two new prizes: one for early-career researchers, and the other for animal studies scholars, artists or advocates who have worked to promote their insights and findings with their peers and the public.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is an exciting way to help the field of animal studies,” she said in a <a href="https://www.inside.unsw.edu.au/awards/new-awards-scheme-advances-the-emerging-sub-discipline-animal-studies#:~:text=As%20a%20founder%20of%20the,be%20established%20in%20coming%20years." target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “My own research … suggests that many animal studies scholars feel isolated and their research is not acknowledged by their own institutions. </p> <p dir="ltr">“These awards are a way of strengthening the animal studies community and giving scholars a sense of achievement and recognition.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-797bc252-7fff-26df-4e48-a4265576659f"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">As she nears the end of her life, Siobhan has said she would feel immensely comforted by the thought that she could legally end her life before her cancer brings her even more suffering.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">I was so honoured to speak on behalf of people facing horrible deaths in NSW. Today I'll be watching <a href="https://twitter.com/nsw_upperhouse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nsw_upperhouse</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/NSWParlLA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NSWParlLA</a> closely. I hope our political leaders use their power to ease the load of the terminally ill & their friends & family. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AssistedDying?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AssistedDying</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VAD?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VAD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nswpol?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nswpol</a> <a href="https://t.co/hecIbBdBAl">pic.twitter.com/hecIbBdBAl</a></p> <p>— Siobhan O'Sullivan 🥦😸♋ (@so_s) <a href="https://twitter.com/so_s/status/1527089433501405184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“My view is that there is no benefit that’s going to come to me, or my family, or this world, for me to suffer the last couple of weeks of a death by ovarian cancer,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">But the very recent <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/emotional-scenes-as-nsw-passes-law-on-voluntary-assisted-dying" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passing of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill</a> in NSW Parliament might still come too late for Siobhan, since it could take up to 18 months for the law to come into effect.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite it not necessarily being an option she could take up, Siobhan says her advocacy will help others in the future.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is for the other people, for the next people - the people in one, two, three years time,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-62a0997d-7fff-4443-1f85-8266d60241af"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Siobhan O’Sullivan (Facebook)</em></p>

Caring

Life support of 12-year-old turned off after devastating accident

<p>The parents of 12-year-old Josh Field have made the heart-breaking decision to switch off their son's life support, after he was left fighting for his life following a devastating accident.</p> <p>They said their "Joshy" would be remembered as a "hero", as the young boy would live on through donating his organs to help others live.</p> <p>Josh suffered catastrophic head injuries when he fell from an unfinished home at a construction site in Maddington, Western Australia, on Monday.</p> <p>The 12-year-old was with his cousins and little brother, who looked on as he fell from a wall and was struck on the head by a metal beam.</p> <p>He was rushed to Perth Children's Hospital with critical injuries and has remained on life support until his family made the difficult decision to say goodbye.</p> <p>“Words can’t even explain it, he’s so much more than anyone can imagine,” older sister Charnte told <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/wa/life-support-to-be-switched-off-for-josh-field-12-after-tragic-maddington-construction-site-fall--c-6761586" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a>.</p> <p>“Even though we’ve lost him, he’s still here, he will still live on."</p> <p>“He’s a hero, he’s donating his heart, his lungs, his kidneys to save others.”</p> <p>Joshy’s older brother Jady said it was hard for it to sink in, adding the family felt “broken”.</p> <p>“It still feels like I’m dreaming,” he told 7News</p> <p>“We’ve lost the most exciting, happy person in our life... he helped us."</p> <p>His family have said that Joshy was a "beautiful soul" who was taken too early by the devastating accident.</p> <p>The family have set up a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/jyrte-joshuas-funeral?utm_source=facebook" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> account to help cover Joshy's funeral costs.</p> <p><em>Image credits: 7News</em></p>

Caring

Billionaire couple’s huge donation

<p dir="ltr">Billionaires Lindsay and Paula Fox have donated a massive $100 million to the new National Gallery Victoria building.</p> <p dir="ltr">Known as one of Victoria’s wealthiest families, the trucking magnate made the donation in honour for his 85th birthday on Tuesday.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lindsay confessed that his wife Paula suggested the donation to the gallery and he said he could not say no after being married for 62 years.</p> <p dir="ltr">"She said I want some money for the gallery.. then she told me how much.. but it was too late.. I'd signed the cheque," he told <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/ngv-fox-family-make-100-million-donation-to-national-gallery-of-victoria/f3b266d6-7ea0-44de-a3e4-f629757ed20f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nine News</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The eye watering donation is the largest cash donation ever made to an Australian art museum by a living donor.</p> <p dir="ltr">In return, the building’s name will change to The Fox: NGV Contemporary, in line with his trucking company. </p> <p dir="ltr">Paula, who sits on the contemporary art gallery’s board said the donation will go a long way. </p> <p dir="ltr">"We do love the state. And I think it's lovely to give back," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson said the donation was an "extraordinary gift to the people of Victoria."</p> <p dir="ltr">"Philanthropy can transform cities and NGV Contemporary will be a true game-changer.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Construction for the building which will go up at 77 Southbank Boulevard in Southbank, will begin later in the year and is expected to finish in 2028. </p> <p dir="ltr">It will form part of the $1.7 billion redevelopment of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation which will also see upgrades to the Arts Centre Melbourne and the Arts Centre Melbourne’s new Centre for Creativity.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Money & Banking

Teenager donates newly-bought car to flood victim

<p>A generous teenager has helped change the life of one of NSW's flood victims by giving him a car. </p> <p>Harry Ledger, a 17-year-old from Kiama, had recently travelled to the flood-affected area of Lismore to help in the mammoth clean up effort from devastating floods. </p> <p>After doing everything he could to help the clean up, Harry decided he wanted to do more than just get his hands dirty. </p> <p>With the help of his family, Harry took the car he recently bought (after saving up for more than two years) and gave it to Dylan: a local who had lost everything in the flood. </p> <p>Natasha Shearer, who helped coordinate Harry’s generous donation, posted about the moment Harry handed over the keys at the weekend.</p> <p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fnshearerlambert%2Fposts%2F10159694343075926&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="809" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>“Dylan was at work at the time and had no idea Harry was about to hand him a car,” Natasha wrote.</p> <div id="ad-slot_out-of-page-mobile_section-index-1_pos-2" data-section-index="1"></div> <p>“Dylan was in shock and really couldn’t believe that someone especially a beautiful young 17-year-old would come and hand over a car like that.”</p> <p>Harry had been saving over the last few years to buy the champagne-coloured Nissan, and decided to give it to the man who had lost his own home and car, and was couch-surfing for a place to stay and getting around on a pushbike. </p> <p>“We brought him out to the car,” Natasha told the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-12/teenager-donates-car-to-northern-nsw-flood-victim/100982504" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a>.</p> <p>“We told him we had a few things for him in the car and, the next thing, Harry handed him the keys."</p> <p>“He cried, he couldn’t believe it. He was very, very appreciative and in shock.”</p> <p>While the clean-up efforts are continuing in Northern NSW, one local's life is now a little easier. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook</em></p>

Caring

Why Leo DiCaprio has donated over $13 million to Ukraine

<p>Actor Leo DiCaprio has donated over $13 million to support Ukraine in their fight against the Russian invasion. </p> <p>The 47-year-old star has personal ties to the besieged country, with his maternal grandmother hailing from Ukraine. </p> <p>His grandmother, Helene Indenbirken was born in the southern Ukraine city of Odesa, before migrating to Germany with her parents in 1917. </p> <p>Leo was very close with his grandmother, who encouraged him throughout his career and accompanied him to many film premieres before she died in 2008 at age 93. </p> <p>The hefty donation was announced by the <a href="https://www.visegradfund.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Visegrad Fund</a>, who "promote sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe".</p> <p>The actor has not formally announced the donation on his social media channels, but has long been an avid supporter and activist for humanitarian issues. </p> <p>Other celebrities have also joined the fight against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with Ukrainian-born actress Mila Kunis and her husband Ashton Kutcher pledged to match donations up to $3 million by those contributing to their <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with-ukraine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> campaign. </p> <p>Their fundraiser, which has raised over $19 million so far, was launched last week with the donations going to Flexport and Airbnb, which, they said, are “two organisations who are actively on the ground providing immediate help to those who need it most.”</p> <p>Mila was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine - then part of the Soviet Union - and moved with her family to the United States when she was seven years old.</p> <p>While acknowledging all that the US has done for her and her family, she said she couldn’t forget her roots.</p> <p>“Today, I am a proud Ukrainian,” the actress said in a statement shared on the fundraising page.</p> <p>“Ukrainians are proud and brave people who deserve our help in their time of need."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

QEII makes a "generous donation" to Ukraine

<p>In a vocal display of support, Queen Elizabeth has supported Ukraine with a "generous" donation. </p> <p>The 95-year-old monarch donated an undisclosed amount to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, according to a tweet made by The Disasters Emergency Committee on Thursday.</p> <p>The Queen's public display of support for Ukraine comes just days after Prince Charles and Camilla had an "emotional" meeting with Ukrainians living in London. </p> <p>Camilla was seen to be tearful as she embraced the wife of Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko before saying "we are praying for you".</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Many thanks to Her Majesty The Queen for continuing to support the Disasters Emergency Committee and for making a generous donation to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RoyalFamily</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UkraineAppeal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UkraineAppeal</a></p> <p>— DEC (@decappeal) <a href="https://twitter.com/decappeal/status/1499431223969595392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>Prince Charles also gave an unexpected speech in which he said he and his wife had been "deeply moved" during their visit, especially after seeing the "extraordinary bravery, generosity and fortitude of the Ukrainian community in the face of such truly terrible aggression".</p> <p>The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have also spoken out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine with a message on Twitter, recalling when they first met the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.</p> <p>"Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future," Kate and William's message said.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine’s future. </p> <p>Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future 🇺🇦 W & C</p> <p>— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1497556980067676163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also shared a message of support on their Archewell Foundation website the day the invasion began, writing, "Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and all of us at Archewell stand with the people of Ukraine against this breach of international and humanitarian law and encourage the global community and its leaders to do the same."</p> <p>The invasion of Ukraine began on February 24th when Russia launched a full-scale military operation that has led to over 9,000 deaths with thousands of people forced to flee their homes. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Money & Banking

Rich countries donating half their COVID vaccine supply would be a “win-win”

<p>The message emerging from expert dialogue on the trajectory of COVID is increasingly clear: this show won’t be over until the whole world is vaccinated. The appearance of <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/covid/omicron-update-170122/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Omicron</a> on the scene, with <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/son-of-omicron-victoria-detects-a-handful-of-covid-19-sub-variant-cases/095ee479-723b-40a9-a2ca-77e90968d6e7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">son-of-Omicron</a> (the BA.2 sub-variant) hot on its heels, has been a stark reminder that making it through one wave doesn’t mean we’ve weathered the storm – as long as there are under-vaccinated populations, this virus will continue to develop new variants that will sweep across the globe, making vaccine equity crucial to COVID defense.</p><p>Just how much should we prioritise vaccine sharing over increasing immunity within our own borders? A new <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01289-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">modelling study</a> published in <em>Nature Human Behaviour</em> has put firm figures to this tricky question, finding that if high-income countries were to donate up to 46% of their total vaccine supply to low- and middle-income countries, the benefits could include substantial decreases in global mortality and protection against further pandemic waves.</p><p>Using a mathematical model, the researchers projected the consequences of vaccine inequity over five years, against the backdrop of evolving strains of SARS-CoV-2 and global mobility.</p><p>The results showed that if we want to get on top of COVID, we’re going to have look beyond short-term immunity gains within our own borders and start playing a globally focused long-game.</p><p>The model indicated that increasing national vaccination rates through booster programs, such as the controversial <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/covid/fourth-covid-shot-wont-prevent-omicron-infection/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">four-dose regime</a> being rolled out across Israel, does lead to faster declines in mortality in high-income countries in the first year. But these gains are swallowed up by an increasing vulnerability to infection in subsequent years as the global threat of newly emerging strains grows.</p><p>Conversely, modelling equitable vaccine allocation strategies showed a substantial curbing of the spread of new strains, providing greater benefits to both high-income and low- and middle-income countries.</p><p>Regardless of where individual countries stand on the ethics of tending to your own flock ahead of assisting disadvantaged global populations, this model makes it clear that allocating nearly half of high-income countries’ vaccine supplies is, over the longer-term, in their own interest.</p><p>Addressing vaccine equity is a practical but highly effective variant-suppression measure that could be achieved by immediate and more-generous vaccine donations to low- and middle-income countries, but convincing governments to reframe their national COVID strategies in this global light remains a challenge.</p><p>As of 31 December 2021, more than nine billion COVID-19 vaccination doses had been administered worldwide – but the distribution of these doses remains highly imbalanced. Over 70% of people in high-income countries are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19; in low-income countries, that number is 4%.</p><p>Organisations such as COVAX, which is co-led by <a href="https://www.gavi.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.gavi.org/">Gavi</a>, <a href="https://www.who.int/initiatives/act-accelerator/covax" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.who.int/initiatives/act-accelerator/covax">the WHO</a>, and <a href="https://cepi.net/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://cepi.net/">CEPI</a>, are attempting to tackle the vaccine inequity problem, and announced in January that they had delivered their <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/covid/billionth-covax-dose/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">billionth vaccine dose</a> – an admirable achievement, but well short of their 2 billion dose goal. The organisation cited hoarding and stockpiling by wealthy countries as a key roadblock to their progress. Many high-income countries have access to enough vaccines to vaccinate their populations several times over, leaving some low- and middle-income countries struggling to obtain sufficient supplies to vaccinate their populations even once.</p><p>But, as the current study makes clear, pandemics pay no heed to borders. Until there is international commitment to global vaccine equity, the waves will continue to crash in.</p><div id="contributors"><p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/covid/combatting-vaccine-inequity-win-win/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/jamie-priest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jamie Priest</a>. Jamie Priest is a science journalist at Cosmos. She has a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from the University of Adelaide.</em></p><p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p></div>

Body

“It’s stupid”: Kochie blasts unfair blood donation rule

<p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff"><em style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">Sunrise</em> co-host David “Kochie” Koch has <a style="background: transparent;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline" href="https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/sunrise-presenter-david-kochie-koch-takes-aim-at-stupid-blood-donation-rule-c-5521999" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dubbed</a> a blood donation rule as “stupid”, revealing he is one of the thousands prevented from rolling up their sleeves as a result.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">The Channel 7 presenter shared that he was one of the many people who lived in the UK between 1980 and 1996 who aren’t allowed to give blood in Australia due to fears of mad cow disease.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">“I’ve never been able to give blood since working and living in the UK in the ‘90s,” Kochie said on Tuesday’s episode.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">“It was a long time ago. It’s stupid.”</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">Kochie added that even his children are affected because they lived overseas.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">His comments come after a news story about the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, which is considering lifting the ban due to severe shortages in blood banks.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">A ban on people who lived in the UK during the mad cow epidemic from giving blood in Australia could soon be lifted due to a major donor shortage. <a href="https://t.co/LF4dStY3N2">pic.twitter.com/LF4dStY3N2</a></p>— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) <a href="https://twitter.com/sunriseon7/status/1488241425162838016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2022</a></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">The organisation has called for more people to donate after many people cancelled or didn’t attend their bookings due to the Omicron wave of COVID-19.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">According to the charity’s website, Lifeblood currently doesn’t accept donations from anyone who lived in the UK - including England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Island, the Isle of Man, and both the Channel and Falkland Islands - for six months or more between January 1 1980 and December 31 1996.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">During this period, the UK experienced one of the highest numbers of a variant of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (or ‘mad cow disease’) called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). It was thought that people contracted this disease by eating products from cows infected with the ‘mad cow disease’.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">“A small number of people also contracted vCJD through blood transfusions, which is why we can’t take blood donations from anyone who has received a transfusion in the UK since 1980,” the website <a style="background: transparent;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline" href="https://www.lifeblood.com.au/blood/eligibility/donating-after-travelling/UK" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reads</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">“We have recently prepared a submission proposing a change to this. Our submission is currently being reviewed, and we look forward to having more to say soon.”</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/koch-0.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="338" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff"><em style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">David ‘Kochie’ Koch has called out a rule that prevents him from donating blood to the Red Cross. Image: @sunriseon7 (Twitter)</em></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">With about 4500 planned donations falling through each day, Lifeblood executive director of donor services Cath Stone said now was the time to review the rule restricting donations.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">“The peak of (mad cow cases) we saw in 2000. We haven’t seen any cases since 2010,” she told <em style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">Sunrise</em>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">“That is why now is the opportune time for us to review that based on the latest evidence. We are looking forward to the outcomes of that submission.”</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff"><em style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">Image: @sunriseon7 (Twitter)</em></p>

News

Terminally ill teen donates his life savings to a boy with cancer

<p>A teenager who has been given just months to live has donated his life savings to a young boy's cancer battle. </p> <p>Rhys Langford, 19, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of cancer that starts in the bones, in October 2020. </p> <p>After 16 months of extensive chemotherapy, immunotherapy and surgeries, the Welsh teenager was declared cancer-free. </p> <p>However, in November last year, he started to get sick again.</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“I ended up with sepsis and a massive blood clot in the femoral vein, I spent nearly five weeks in hospital again, underwent further tests, MRI’s, CT scans, to be told on 4th January this year my cancer has come back,” he wrote.</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“Now there is nothing more that can be done for me,” he said.</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“I am dying.”</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">Rhys had come to terms with the fact that his journey was coming to an end, and was devastated to learn that six-year-old Jacob's battle with cancer had just begun. </p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">Jacob was <span>diagnosed with neuroblastoma just before Christmas 2017, prompting his family to raise thousands of pounds for experimental treatments. </span><br /><span></span></p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><span>After several months of chemotherapy and surgeries, he too was declared cancer-free in 2019. </span></p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><span>After two years cancer-free, a new lesion appeared on Jacob's liver in January, instilling the worst fears in his family's mind that his cancer had returned.</span></p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><span>When Rhys learned of Jacob's plight, he donated $1,900 to Jacob's treatment and set up a GoFundMe page, which has since raised more than $88,000.</span></p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><span>“I know nothing can be done for me now but as one of my many last wishes I would like to help Jacob and help him fight this awful disease,” Rhys said, “I know what the treatments and awful drugs do to your body. It’s hell.”</span></p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><span>“Jacob is now six and has been fighting this disease most of his life. It should not be this way.”</span></p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><span>Jacob’s family said their “thoughts and love go out to this young man”, thanking him on behalf of Jacob and his “fight team”.</span></p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“We have had a fantastic donation of £1,000 from a wonderful person called Rhys ... he was reading about Jacob’s relapse and got really upset and wanted to do something to help him,” they said.</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“His words were, ‘If they can’t save me I would like to help save this little boy Jacob’.”</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><em>Image credits: GoFundMe / Facebook</em></p>

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