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Little girl's Anzac artwork sells at auction for $100,000

<p>A moving artwork created by nine-year-old Evie Poolman has sold for a staggering six-figure sum at auction. </p> <p>Young Evie created the artwork of the 'Lone Soldier' just six months after receiving a devastating diagnosis of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a deadly type of brain tumour.</p> <p>Evie underwent four brain surgeries and 30 rounds of radiation for her condition but tragically died at the age of nine in June 2021.</p> <p>Now, the artwork - a striking red and orange piece depicting an Anzac standing before a grave at sunset - has been auctioned off by Evie's parents in an attempt to raise money for a cure for the horrible disease. </p> <p>Currently, DIPG has a zero per cent survival rate but despite this, since 2015, less than a million dollars has been dedicated to research in Australia.</p> <p>Evie's parents Chuck and Bridget chose to auction off their late daughter's artwork at the Heels 2 Heal charity lunch in Sydney on Friday, to increase the funding of research into DIPG. </p> <p>The lucky winner, Jo Kinghorn, forked out a staggering $100,000 for the artwork, as she handed over the money "with absolute joy and pleasure".</p> <p>"It was so exciting for me, I've never really experienced anything like that before," Kinghorn, a friend of the Poolman family, told 2GB's Ben Fordham, adding that she hadn't woken up that day expecting to part with so much money.</p> <p>"I'm just so grateful that the painting ended up in my hands."</p> <p>Kinghorn was more than happy to contribute so much money, knowing the funds were going to a good cause. </p> <p>"It's a drop in the ocean as to what is needed, and the government has the ability to properly fund these trials," Kinghorn said of the money spent.</p> <p>"I saw first-hand what this did to a family, and the strength of this family is beyond words. I cannot be more proud. It's just devastating."</p> <p><em>Image credits: 2GB</em></p>

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"Writing songs is my therapy": Ed Sheeran reveals further heartbreak

<p>In the wake of the tragic news of the <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/tragedy-strikes-ed-sheeran-tour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">heartbreaking loss</a> suffered by his co-writer and touring partner, Ed Sheeran has taken to Instagram to share his struggle following a series of life-changing events – and how this has altered the course of his new album, Subtract.</p> <p>The singer shared how he “spiralled” into depression last year after his wife, Cherry, was diagnosed with a tumour during her second pregnancy, which couldn’t be treated until after she gave birth.</p> <p>The star explained that he was "trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album" for almost a decade, when the series of events changed everything.</p> <p>“Writing songs is my therapy. It helps me make sense of my feelings. I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out.</p> <p>“And in just over a week, I replaced a decade’s worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts," he captioned.</p> <p>“Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth.</p> <p>“My best friend Jamal [Edwards], a brother to me, died suddenly and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety.</p> <p>“I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air".</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/CpPY7qyI6XB/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/CpPY7qyI6XB/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The four-time Grammy award winner shared that this album was a "trapdoor" into his soul, and a way for him to make sense of everything he's been through.</p> <p>Sheeran announced the birth of his second daughter, Jupiter, in May of last year.</p> <p>Subtract will be released on the 5th of May 2023, through Asylum/Atlantic.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p> <p> </p>

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Train driving dream comes true for brain tumour survivor

<p dir="ltr">Three years after doctors found a large tumour growing in his brain, seven-year-old Broly Blackmore has seen his dream of becoming a train driver come true.</p> <p dir="ltr">The young boy from Hallett, South Australia, had the tumour removed when he was just four years old after he collapsed and was rushed to hospital by helicopter.</p> <p dir="ltr">If it wasn’t removed that night, doctors told his mother, Corrine Maidment, that he wouldn’t make it.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the years since, Broly’s life has become relatively normal, albeit with regular brain scans and physio trips - and he has had his wish of driving a train granted by the Starlight Foundation.</p> <p dir="ltr">The seven-year-old went on a trip on the Pichi Richi steam train, travelling from Quorn to Port Augusta as a “trainee train driver”.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Ever since he was only a couple of months old everything has always been about trains … diesels aren't as good as steam trains apparently," Ms Maidment said, adding that he barely slept the night before the big day.</p> <p dir="ltr">"According to everyone in the train, they weren't allowed to do anything without his say so … at one point, he told the fireman, the guy who does the coal, 'That's my seat. I need to sit there'.</p> <p dir="ltr">"He was boss for the day." </p> <p dir="ltr">The Pichi Richi railway, an outback steam train experience that has been operating since 1973, later shared a sweet photo of Broly on the train.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Last Sunday, Pichi Richi Railway was able to grant a wish for a very special visitor, 7 year old Broly who was having his wish granted with help from Starlight Children's Foundation Australia’s ‘Wishgranting Program’,” the railway <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PichiRichiRailway/posts/pfbid032C45MeP339xWYPL321ZTFjXXsehYJh7pWe2xkX812DkCLCBZgZyp8UVNGVzF7ztvl">wrote</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Broly loves trains so Starlight contacted Pichi Richi Railway and Broly was lucky enough to ride in the cab of engine W934 for the day with our crew on the Pichi Richi Explorer service. </p> <p dir="ltr">“A very special day for our crew, Broly and his family.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Although Broly’s wish was given to him while he was in hospital, Ms Maidment said they had waited until he was old enough to decide how he wanted to spend it.</p> <p dir="ltr">"He's had the wish sitting there since he was in the hospital ... but we wanted to wait until he was old enough to make a decision himself so he'd know what the wish was and he'd remember it," she said. </p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-4354a857-7fff-0466-bb9f-4dd255b3ba47"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Blackmore family, Starlight Foundation, Pichi Richi Railway (Facebook)</em></p>

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18-year-old’s tragic plea to live

<p><span>Paige Simpson’s life changed suddenly after being rushed to the hospital on her 18th birthday.</span><br /><br /><span>The healthy, happy teen was told she had Brain Stem Glioma — a cancerous tumour mostly found to impact children and young adults under the age of 20.</span><br /><br /><span>While Ms Simpson was meant to undergo a “straightforward” operation in November last year to remove the tumour, the family ended up having to deal with the most “terrifying” seven hours of their lives.</span><br /><br /><span>“The tumour was wrapped around nerves going into her brain, making it extremely complicated and difficult,” Brisbane mum Carloyn Cross explained to <em>news.com.au.</em></span></p> <p><span>“We thought that was scary, but that was just the beginning.”</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842308/paige-simpson-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/3a64f1808eaf45ef82dd90d68cfd12a8" /><br /><br /><span>Carloyn said her daughter realised something was wrong when she felt as though one side of her face was “falling off”.</span><br /><br /><span>“The following week it just got worse so I took her to the doctor.”</span><br /><br /><span>Their local doctor ruled that Paige simply had Bell’s palsy, which is a muscle weakness that causes one half of the face to droop.</span><br /><br /><span>Carolyn couldn’t be convinced however, especially when Paige’s face began to get worse.</span><br /><br /><span>“I took her back to the doctor, he referred us to a neurosurgeon and after we got the results of an MRI, that’s when he called saying we need to go to the hospital straight away for the biopsy,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“We all cried so much when we found out what was happening, but Paige has been remarkably resilient.”</span><br /><br /><span>Paige has since undergone 12 weeks of both radiation therapy and oral chemotherapy – but sadly her efforts have been in vain as neither treatment has been successful in reducing the glioma.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842309/paige-simpson.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b62e4084196e4cdeb81b833b2dd204cd" /><br /><br /><span>Avastin – a tumour-starving therapy – works to reduce the size of the tumour and involves Paige being hooked to a drip every two weeks for 1.5 hours.</span><br /><br /><span>“This worked in reducing the size of the glioma, but, the glioma has also started fragmenting and is now in her spinal fluid, accumulating in her spine and the skin of her brain,” Carolyn explained.</span><br /><br /><span>Sadly enough, the family have just received the “awful” news that the next treatment doctors want to try is not on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in Australia.</span><br /><br /><span>Each injection costs $6000 a fortnight.</span><br /><br /><span>“If she doesn’t get the injections (an immunotherapy called Keytruda) those little fragments will become bigger and they’re all throughout her spine and skin of her brain,” the heartbroken mother admitted.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842307/paige-simpson-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/9a68ef2fdd6d434bb0ce670cb2b29e08" /><br /><br /><span>“She won’t be with us for a long time if we don't get them.</span><br /><br /><span>“Of course we want to do everything we can to keep her alive, her life is only just getting to the good part, but the Australian Government doesn’t provide any financial benefit until we’ve contributed $70,000,” Carolyn said.</span><br /><br /><span>Carloyn has started a GoFundMe page to help cover the debilitating costs.</span><br /><br /><span>“We have already exhausted our savings and I never wanted to do crowd funding and have people feeling sorry for us, especially because Paige just wants to remain so positive,” Carolyn said.</span><br /><br /><span>“But it’s got to a point where we can’t do it ourselves anymore and really did need help.”</span><br /><br /><span>The family is hoping to raise $80,000.</span><br /><br /><span>Carolyn said any donation is gratefully accepted, “so that we can hit our target and keep our beautiful Paige with us”.</span></p> <p><em>Images: Supplied</em></p>

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Johnny Ruffo tells all amid second cancer battle

<p>Johnny Ruffo wormed his way into majority of Australian hearts 10 years ago, when he stepped onto the <em>X Factor Australia</em> stage.</p> <p>Quickly, he rose to national fame. He later signed to Sony Music, appearing on <em>Dancing With With The Stars</em> and supporting major bands like One Direction and NKOTBSB (New Kids On The Block and Backstreet Boys) for their Australian tours.</p> <p>Johnny would then go on to join the cast of <em>Home And Away</em> in 2013 for what was supposed to be a 16-episode run, but turned into a three-year stint.</p> <p>In 2017, Johnny would stun fans when he announced to Instagram that he had been rushed to hospital.</p> <p>Doctors would reveal he had a brain tumour.</p> <p>“He’d had headaches for probably like a week, on and off,” Tahnee, Johnny’s girlfriend, whom he met in 2013, told Denham Hitchcock.</p> <p>“Then ... I think it was maybe a Sunday, and I was making boiled eggs in the kitchen and he was laying on the lounge ... he was trying to respond to me, but he was mixing up his words.”</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841922/johnny-ruffo.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/d250e1f623424e42b28036523b568c10" /></p> <p>She went on to explain: “I remember he was saying ‘put boil in the oiling water’, and then I went over to him and he was finding it hard to like string a sentence together, which was very odd.</p> <p>“At this time, he still had these excruciating headaches, so I was like, ‘think we should head in, get checked out’.</p> <p>“We were in the emergency waiting bays for probably eight hours, they were giving him drips and pain meds just trying to get the headaches under control.</p> <p>“And then he was laying down and he sat straight up and just vomited all this brown stuff over himself,” Tahnee said.</p> <p>“It was like black, almost,” Johnny added.</p> <p>Johnny credits Tahnee for remaining supportive throughout his health battles, saying he “would not be here today without her.”</p> <p>“The first time I went through all of this, if she hadn’t taken me to the hospital, I would’ve gone to bed that night and not woken up.”</p> <p>Later that evening, Johnny revealed he’d slipped into a coma, unknown to his girlfriend who had been told to go home.</p> <p>“I had a 7cm tumor in my right frontal lobe, which is more of less the size of my fist, and they had to operate immediately,” Johnny said.</p> <p>Tahnee arrived at the hospital to find Johnny unconscious, in intensive care and being prepped for surgery.</p> <p>“He had to go into surgery then and there, it wasn’t a question...so, (I) signed the papers, said a little goodbye, and then they wheeled him off.”</p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BXl7r5-AH1S/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BXl7r5-AH1S/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Johnny Ruffo (@johnny_ruffo)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Johnny would emerge from the surgery with 27 staples in his head, and the makings of a massive scar. He’d soon learn his tumour was cancerous.</p> <p>“They told me I have brain cancer and it was like, wow, my whole world just got flipped upside down,” Johnny told 7NEWS.</p> <p>“And then they said ‘you have to have chemotherapy, you have to have radiotherapy, you’re going to lose your hair’... everything just came crashing down all at once.</p> <p>“I didn’t cry, I was just blank.</p> <p>“I didn’t know what to think, I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know what to say. I was just like, all right, I guess we gotta do this now.”</p> <p>Johnny revealed he’d had help from his co-star Lynne McGranger who supported him during his emotional battle.</p> <p>“It was just a shock,” Lynne said.</p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLioXJpl3v5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLioXJpl3v5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Johnny Ruffo (@johnny_ruffo)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“I knew that he’d been suffering bad headaches ... he’d only just recently been around to our place for a barbecue and Tahnee had to take him home, because he’d always suffered from migraines, and he was unwell and he didn’t really want to have a wine or anything, which was just not like Johnny.”</p> <p>Johnny went into remission after gruelling chemotherapy, in 2019, saying it was the “greatest day of his life”.</p> <p>Sadly, the good times would not last and in November 2020, he admitted to the world his cancer had returned.</p> <p>“From memory, I had 11 seizures in four days, so I don’t remember a lot from those four days,” Johnny said while explaining his difficulties before he was re-diagnosed.</p> <p>“He was, I would say semi-conscious for probably like nine days,” Tahnee added.</p> <p>“There’s dark thoughts where I’m like, is this it? Is this where I say goodbye, in the bloody hospital after everything?</p> <p>“So, those, those are, there’s definitely dark times - I’m not gonna lie.</p> <p>“But, we remain positive because you have to. It’s not a choice.”</p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQVKtgol1zW/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQVKtgol1zW/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Johnny Ruffo (@johnny_ruffo)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Johnny’s cancer is extremely rare, and accounts for less than 1 per cent of all brain tumours.</p> <p>“When they told me the cancer was back, I was devastated,” Johnny said.</p> <p>“I‘d already been through it, and for me it was just like ‘oh f***, I’ve gotta go through this s*** again’.”</p> <p>Due to intense chemotherapy and a barrage of tests, Johnny has revealed there is still hope.</p> <p>Doctors have told the loveable, cheeky star that his “spine’s all clear and the tumour in the right frontal lobe and the brain stem, all stable.”</p> <p>While its no easy journey, Johnny says he couldn’t be “more thankful for the support.”</p>

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Experimental treatment makes dog’s 11 cancerous tumours “disappear”

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Beloved rottweiler Griffin was given just three months to live after being diagnosed with a rare type of cancer. However, thanks to an experimental treatment in Queensland, he is still living years later after taking part in a clinical trial.</p> <p>His owner, Adam Johnson, noticed a lump in the back of Griffin’s neck in 2017.</p> <p>"I thought we'd take him for a routine check," Mr Johnson said to the<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-01/dog-cancer-tumours-experimental-treatment/11819284" target="_blank">ABC</a>.</em></p> <p>"It didn't seem like anything untoward, I just thought it would be medication and 'he'll be right' sort of thing.</p> <p>"A few days later we found out it was a cancerous lump.</p> <p>"It was devastating, absolutely devastating right before Christmas."</p> <p>Griffin the rottweiler was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma and given three months to live.</p> <p>University of Queensland PhD candidate and veterinarian Dr Annika Oska said that the type of cancer Griffin was diagnosed with is usually a death sentence for dogs.</p> <p>"He had a really big lump taken off his side but by the time he went back to have his stitches removed from the original surgery, he had another three lumps, so they were growing really quickly," Dr Oksa said.</p> <p>Instead of going with the traditional route of chemotherapy, Dr Oska had another idea and enrolled Griffin in a medical trial that used immunotherapy treatment. This treatment is designed to “wake up” the dogs own immune system so the body recognises a foreign cancer.</p> <p>"With this one [trial] we make it specifically from the dog's own tumour," Dr Oksa said.</p> <p>"So it's very, very personalised and then we hope that the dog's own immune system will recognise the cancer and start fighting it."</p> <p>His owner was surprised at the results.</p> <p>"One by one, the cancerous lesions began to disappear to the point where two years on we've still got him here," Mr Johnson said.</p> <p>"At that point in time it felt like a Hail Mary.”</p> <p>Dr Oska said that researchers were encouraged by the results and that it could eventually be expanded into human trials for similar cancers.</p> <p>"We're hoping that this will be a way forward to include in the treatment protocol for these dogs.</p> <p>"We need to have more dogs in the trials obviously, so we have more evidence.</p> <p>"So at the same time we're researching what happens to the tumours, how do they respond to the vaccine — can we make any changes to it? Or combine it with different treatments."</p> <p><em>Photo credits: <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-01/dog-cancer-tumours-experimental-treatment/11819284" target="_blank">ABC</a>  </em></p> </div> </div> </div>

Family & Pets

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Home and Away star Lynne McGranger gives health update on Johnny Ruffo

<p>Lynne McGranger has taken on many co-stars as friends throughout her 27 years on Australia’s favourite show <em>Home and Away</em>, and this includes the loveable singer turned actor Johnny Ruffo.</p> <p>Ruffo played Chris Harrington from 2013 to 2016 and was known on the show as a boyish joker who everyone adored. In one memorable episode, Ruffo’s character drove Irene’s diner out of business when he poisoned Alf and Leah after serving wild mushrooms in risotto.</p> <p>McGranger, 66, revealed to<a href="https://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/perth-singer-actor-johnny-ruffo-in-good-health-according-to-lynne-mcgranger-ng-b881123198z"> Perth Now</a> on Saturday, the 30-year-old is in good health following his brain tumour diagnosis in 2017.</p> <p>“A couple of years ago things weren't good for him, but now he is much much better,” the actress revealed, saying the two catch up regularly.</p> <p>“He is great, he is in good health and he is really good.”</p> <p>Jonny’s aggressive brain tumour diagnosis in 2017 resulted in the star undergoing surgery to remove a 7cm tumour from his skull before undergoing chemotherapy.</p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BmIl6SDBVYj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <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> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BmIl6SDBVYj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">Today is exactly a year since i was rushed to hospital to have an emergency operation to remove a brain tumour, it has been a crazy ride and im not quite finished yet but i want to share some snaps of the past year and say thank you to everyone who has been there for me and supported me throughout this time 😃 #braincancer #fuckcancer</a></p> <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 post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/johnny_ruffo/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank"> Johnny Ruffo</a> (@johnny_ruffo) on Aug 6, 2018 at 3:34am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>At the time of his battle, he told the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6763323/Lynne-McGranger-says-Johnny-Ruffo-good-health.html">Daily Mail:</a> “I’m doing really good. My net scan is in three weeks and provided that’s all clear then I’m in the clear completely.</p> <p>“That will be my last scan for now and then I've got to get another one every three months - you've got to keep checking up on it.”</p> <p>The singer and actor has revealed he has a lot in store for 2019 with new music on the horizon.</p> <p>“I've got some new music coming out, the next song that I'll release is called Broken Glass,” he said.</p> <p>“It's kind of about my experience over the last two years. Just dealing with everything and what I've been through, and the people who have supported me.”</p> <p>Ruffo was a finalist on the <em>X Factor</em> in 2011, reaching national fame and accruing adoring fans all throughout Australia, before he moved onto <em>Home and Away</em> in 2013.  </p>

Caring

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Johnny Ruffo's inspiring health update on brain tumour diagnosis

<p><span>Aussie actor Johnny Ruffo has shared an update of his progress on Instagram, following his tumour treatment.</span></p> <p><span>The former </span><em><span>Home &amp; Away </span></em><span>star, who was diagnosed with cancer last August, has talked about how he is doing in the “most difficult of times”.</span></p> <p><span>“Positive thinking can change your entire outlook on life, even through the most difficult of times,” he began.</span></p> <p><span>“Stay positive and keep moving forward.”</span></p> <blockquote 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: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></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/BeSOp6cBTSM/" target="_blank">A post shared by Johnny Ruffo (@johnny_ruffo)</a> on Jan 23, 2018 at 12:12am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><span> </span></p> <p><span>After suffering crippling headaches for years, the 29-year-old previously revealed that he went to the doctors.</span></p> <p><span>“I went to the doctor who gave some medication which didn’t do anything."</span></p> <p><span>He explained that one day he was lying on the couch in agony feeling “like there was a fire inside”.</span></p> <p><span>“I tried to talk to the missus and I slurred all my words and mixed them all up.”</span></p> <p><span>That’s when his longtime girlfriend Tahnee decided that he needed to go to the emergency room.</span></p> <blockquote 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: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></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/Bblwq8EhWQD/" target="_blank">A post shared by Johnny Ruffo (@johnny_ruffo)</a> on Nov 17, 2017 at 12:41am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span>“It was unbelievable, like the most excruciating pain I’ve ever felt," Johnny said.</span></p> <p><span>"I can’t even describe it. They put me on some medication and you know, I sat up and I vomited. It just wasn’t great.”</span></p> <p><span>The</span><em><span> Home &amp; Away</span></em><span> star fell into a coma overnight and the hospital staff were unable to wake him.</span></p> <p><span>The next morning, Tahnee received a call from the emergency department informing her to come to the hospital straight away as he had been diagnosed with a brain tumour.</span></p> <p><span>"And she had to drive down there and they said, 'Look, we need to do an emergency operation.' Because by this stage, I had slipped into a coma," Johnny said.</span></p> <p><span>"She had to sign a form to give permission."</span></p>

Caring

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Parents design homemade wheelchair for paralysed toddler

<p>To say Evelyn Moore has been through the wars would be an understatement. At just four months Evelyn was diagnosed with a spinal tumour that required urgent attention.</p> <p>But eight intensive rounds of chemotherapy took their toll on Evelyn’s young body and left her paralysed from the arms down. Her parents had been so preoccupied with the treatments they couldn’t get enough insurance to cover the cost of the wheelchair.</p> <p>But Evelyn’s mother Kim wasn’t going to give up that easy.</p> <p>After researching options online, Kim came across a do-it-yourself wheelchair for babies on Pinterest and asked her handyman husband Brad, if he could make it.</p> <p>It cost about $100 to make, but it did the trick and now at 13 months Evelyn is skilfully moving it around the home. She’s got such a gorgeous smile, it’s a terrible shame to think that she’s been through so much pain in her young life.</p> <p>But we’re sure with Evelyn’s fighting spirit and her parent’s ingenuity, she will be able to pull through. Leave any messages of support in the comments.</p> <p><em>Video credit: YouTube / The Canadian Press</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/health/caring/2016/08/wheelchair-allows-terminally-ill-patients-to-go-to-beach/"><strong>Smart wheelchair enables terminally ill patients to visit beach</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/travel/travel-tips/2016/06/disabled-travel-blogger-anthony-tipling-bower/"><strong>Travel blogger aims to set ‘wheel’ in every country</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/travel/travel-tips/2016/08/managing-mobility-limitations-on-extended-trips/"><strong>Managing mobility limitations on extended trips</strong></a></em></span></p>

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