THEY called her the chocolate lady because Fiona Elsey could make a ripper chocolate cake. Sponges were also her specialty.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
When in hospital for aggressive chemo and radiation therapies, nurses would bring Fiona a big bowl to get mixing then cook her cakes for her to share about the wards.
Fiona Elsey was a medical visionary. Her hometown Ballarat has embraced her dream and the result has put cancer research made in this city, from an institute named in her honour, to demand and push for greater international recognition.
Today marks 30 years since Fiona's death. She was 14 years old.
For the man who made a promise to Fiona before she died, George Kannourakis said Fiona's wish to have cancer research conducted in Ballarat was a huge legacy.
Professor Kannourakis said Fiona showed young people could make a difference with an idea and a passion for change. Young people could offer hope.
He said the Ballarat community just took this "under their wing" and rode with it - literally in big events like Ballarat Cycle Classic - to fuel the only regional cancer body in regional Australia.
- READ MORE: The girl behind Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute | FIONA HENDERSON
For Fiona's mum Gail Elsey, she also works to fulfill her promise to keep being Fiona's voice.
The first fundraising meeting Fiona held for cancer research in the family lounge room included Gail, dad Greg and five others. Fiona sold her delicious ginger fluff sponges with 20-cent raffle tickets.
"Back 30 years ago, no-one would talk about cancer - everyone would run and hide. Fiona was like, let's rip off the BandAid and make it happen. She had a great sense of humour, a bit of a terror, and we used to have so much fun," Gail said.
"Fi was mature beyond her years. I reckon she'd been here before. She wanted her life back and she recognised how important life was. She was strong.
"She knew cancer was not just about the patient but also their family. I think that's what drove her as well."
Whether Fiona could envisage how much the community had embraced her idea for Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute was hard to know. Gail said Fiona had a lot of faith in her doctor, now-Professor Kannourakis, and his ability to help others.
When Fiona was 13, facing Ewing's Sarcoma, chemotherapy drugs would make patients incredibly nauseous and constantly vomiting. She volunteered to be a child patient in a trial for anti-nausea drug Ondansitron.
Professor Kannourakis said Fiona knew and felt the benefits of research. This fuelled her curiosity to learn more, a time when there was no biological research in Ballarat.
For Professor Kannourakis to relocate his research to a regional area, such as Ballarat where he was living, was considered career ending. Many people openly told him so.
But there was the Elsey family and the Ballarat community for backing.
Walking out of a function one night, Gail reminded him of his promise to Fiona and University of Ballarat's then-vice-chancellor David James said this was possible. There was nothing at the university at that stage but Professor James organised a meeting with St John of God Ballarat.
"I had a meeting with the nuns in the chapel. They were praying for how this could happen," Professor Kannourakis said. "They said I had to come and work in Ballarat and that was a big move for me, They told me 'we prayed for you because we didn't have anything when we started healthcare in Ballarat and look at the hospital we have from community support."
In 1998, seven years after Fiona's death, the city's first cancer research laboratory opened in a disused paint shed at the hospital.
Research fundraising for Ballarat Health Services Base Hospital helped but Professor Kannourakis said the research program - now known as Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute - had always relied on philanthropy, community fundraising efforts and people turning out, over and over again, for the Cycle Classic or gala balls.
The Institute's labs at Ballarat Tech Park have praise as world leading from visiting international scientists, many brought here under the John Turner fund, created by Ballarat businessman and philanthropist.
FECRI boasts 13 scientists and eight Federation Univeristy PhD candidates and has never lost anyone due to funding cuts.
This includes new programs in ovarian cancer, breast cancer and brain cancer each launched after a Classic effort.
The Institute has been involved in 57 international papers in the past six years and has had a sharp rise in publications the past two, despite pandemic conditions.
"We certainly have a reputation in immunology in cancer research, attempting to clear the fog around proteins on cancer cells that are evading the immune system," Professor Kannourakis said.
"We believe these proteins are present on most cancers - brain, lung, breast - and we're working on a concept these cancers all have a common theme."
By identifying proteins on the cancer cells, even one protein, the aim is to better understand the biology of cancer cells, find anti-bodies to negate the proteins and help to unleash the immune system.
Professor Kannourakis said immunology had some success but it was like breaking apart a barcode of different proteins on cancers to best tailor the right cocktail of anti-bodies needed.
This is not a small project, this is cutting edge...this will put Ballarat on the map in a way many people do not understand
- George Kannourakis, FECRI honourary director
"We are closing in on these proteins. This is not a small project, this is cutting edge. If we're able to achieve even a few proteins this will put Ballarat on the map in a way many people do not understand," Professor Kannourakis said.
"We're already highly recognised but this is next level."
Support for FECRI is resonating beyond Ballarat into regional Victoria.
Well-known winemaker Dan Redman, just across the South Australian border, has become a major champion. His young son Jock has Langerhans cell histiocytosis, a rare cancer that damages tissue and causes lesions to form on the body.
FECRI is the only organisation in Australia that specialises in LCH - and the fact this was based in regional Australia has been a bonus.
Popular Beechworth Bakery owner Tom O'Toole has led multiple cross-nation adventures in a 1930 A Model Ford to promote FECRI's work.
Fiona's wishes led to this.
- George Kannourakis, FECRI honourary director
Professor Kannourakis pointed to world-renowned Mayo Clinic's foundations in a farming community outside Minneapolis in the United States.
He said rurality factors did not always work for health research, particularly due to governments' typically short-term visions.
This was why community was so important. Community kept Ballarat researchers presenting papers at international conferences and involved in cutting-edge partnerships.
"Fiona's wishes led to this," Professor Kannourakis said.
IN OTHER NEWS
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.