2020…well what a year so far!
Remarkable for so many reasons…fires, floods, droughts, pandemics, assaults on our economic, psychological and physical well beings... and it’s only August. Though some have been through the worst of times these events seem to have brought out the best of most Australians with amazing resilience and acts of bravery and humanity giving us hope and restoring our faith in humanity.
It’s easy to say just focus on the positives, see the glass as being 'half full' not 'half empty' - but the truth is, no matter what the situation, the only thing we can control is how we look at it! This is, by no means, trying to diminish the harsh realities of this year’s events with the loss of loved ones, feelings of fear, anxiety, frustration and loneliness. It’s OK to feel this way... but if we are to keep going, we will need to dig deep to find the positives and the strength to move forward.
Personally, I can relate it to my diagnosis of brain cancer - this was completely out of my control. I Googled the statistics and they were absolutely shocking and devastating! I had a day or two of feeling really sorry for myself and then... something changed!! I made a decision that this wasn’t helping anyone, including myself, and I deliberately changed my mindset. From that day - I have never looked back. That is not to say I haven’t had some dark days but in general I really try to focus on, and find, the positives in every situation.
2020 has not been a great year but we can’t dwell on that. I have definitely found some positives this year and you may have too! Whether it's spending more time with family, discovering new hobbies, enjoying a slower pace of life, experiencing kindness from strangers or the joy that comes from helping others… many of us have found time to stop and smell the roses. In a year where I truly didn’t know if we would raise ANY money to continue our vital quest to defeat brain cancer - our Beanie for Brain Cancer campaign raised a phenomenal $2.65 million!!!!! Can you believe that?!
I honestly can’t find the words to express my gratitude for you choosing to help MHF raise funds for brain cancer research and giving hope to myself and many, many others. In the toughest of times we have witnessed the very best of humanity and I am reminded of that every time I see one of our MHF beanies being worn…. and that is quite often with 150,000 sold!. My heart swells with gratitude... Thank You.
- Mark Hughes