Ballarat philanthropist Lisa Hayden, who began dozens of initiatives to improve the lives of women diagnosed with breast cancer, died on Sunday.
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Ms Hayden was instrumental in supporting breast cancer treatments at the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute, and was a board member for many years.
Her vision was for Ballarat to become a world leader in cancer research - the idea has gained momentum with the establishment of the Ballarat Regional Integrated Cancer Centre and the development of FECRI’s expansive tissue bank.
Professor George Kannourakis, FECRI’s director, said she had made “a tremendous contribution”, and would be sorely missed.
“Her legacy, in terms of research, has been that the institute has progressed quite significantly in the last six years - we are now making international recognition in immunology and cancer research,” he said.
“People don’t realise, she was a quiet achiever.
“I looked after Lisa from her original diagnosis to her recent demise, that was a journey of almost 15 years, and she handled that with a lot of courage, determination, and grit, and also hope.”
She helped bring fundraising events like the Mother’s Day Classic fun run, beginning in Ballarat in 2008, and the Girl’s Night In to the city.
These events raised thousands of dollars, encouraging women to have conversations, ask questions and get checkups.
In 2018, she was inducted into Zonta Ballarat’s Women of Influence Honour Roll.
Diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2004, she was given a 50-50 chance of survival, and with two young children at the time, her greatest fear was leaving them without a mother.
Her blog, Girl at the Ironing Board, told her story her own way, through letters to children and observations of her cancer treatment.
She was also a keen contributor to Ballarat Lifestyle magazine, and completed her autobiography, which will be published in 2019.
Speaking to The Courier in March, Ms Hayden said she had a choice when she was first diagnosed.
“I could either succumb to the challenges of a life-threatening illness or find an opportunity to develop my own resilience to make a difference,” she said.
She leaves behind her husband Richard, and children Gretel and Sam.
Ms Hayden’s funeral will be held on Friday.
