An early morning start heading up the Pacific Highway to Port Macquarie and the Mid North Coast Cancer Institute where Mark and Mike met with our Brain Cancer Care Coordinator, Nicole, staff at Port Macquarie Hospital and some of our amazing brain cancer patients.
From here it was a short trip out to Wauchope and the school of Ellie Fenton. Ellie is the daughter of one of our brain cancer patients Matt Fenton and his wife Kylie. Matt was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017 at the age of 32. The Fenton family relayed the importance of the Brain Cancer Care Nurses as a major support in the care of brain cancer patients in regional areas where services can be limited.
Mark and Mike loved their visit to Wauchope Public School who raised an incredible amount of $401.85 for the Mark Hughes Foundation.
Coffs Harbour was next on the itinerary with a visit to more of our fabulous patients and their carer’s. A brief stop into Coffs Harbour IGA, who were proudly displaying our beanies for sale and it was on to Bellingen and another IGA supporting MHF through their beanie sales. Accommodation for the night was at the beautiful Bellingen Riverside Cottages who graciously hosted Mark and Mike. A huge thank you to Marg and John Hope for the wonderful hospitality you showed by providing such a comfortable place to rest after a big day on the road.
After a great night’s sleep, and an early morning start, the boys headed out on the journey to Armidale where they were met by our Brain Cancer Care Coordinator Natasha and yet more of our brave and inspiring patients at the Oncology Unit at Armidale Hospital.
A short drive to Tamworth and the final stop of the tour was the Tamworth Cancer Centre, another area wonderfully looked after by our BCCC Natasha. Here, Mike and Mark spent time with patients hearing their stories and how vital the BCCC nurses, funded by the Mark Hughes Foundation are throughout the always challenging journey that follows a brain cancer diagnosis.
