Kyabram community rallies behind Shannon’s cancer fundraising

By Jemma Jones

Jun 4, 2024

It was a team effort between Shannon Miller and Alison Walsh, who produced a morning tea on Tuesday, May 21 to raise money for The Kyabram Gift. Photo by Jemma Jones

A cool morning at Kyabram District Health Service didn’t deter hospital staff and visitors from coming together in the courtyard for a morning tea fundraiser to tackle cancer.

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Over 50 people gathered in the KDHS courtyard on Tuesday, May 21, to help KDHS staff member Shannon Miller raise money for The Kyabram Gift by purchasing a cupcake, entering themselves into a raffle, or estimating how many chocolates were in a jar.

Thirteen years ago, Shannon raised $5000 for The Kyabram Gift, a local cancer charity, and shaved her head; this year, she is looking to do it all again and beat her previous record.

**Shannon Miller handed out cupcakes and raffle tickets to the attendees of the morning tea.** Photo by Jemma Jones

This time, the cause has hit closer to home for Shannon, with her family’s recent cancer battle providing her with a deeper understanding of the illness’s broad impact.

“I work for KDHS, and I have that family connection, so I’ll be shaving my head for my family and for the charity,” Shannon said.

“It’s a good opportunity to raise that cancer awareness and the cancer services that we do deliver here in Kyabram.

“I want to raise awareness of how costly it can be to go through cancer and how The Kyabram Gift and KDHS can provide support — because I’ve now witnessed it firsthand.

“The request for assistance has increased, and more people are diagnosed with cancer than ever — so, we need the funds, and we need the support.”

The Kyabram Gift was started in 2010 to financially support individuals and their families in Kyabram who were experiencing cancer treatment.

The Kyabram Gift chair Alison Walsh estimates that the charity has raised more than $1 million over the past 14 years.

The Kyabram Gift chair Alison Walsh had her fundraising cap on. Photo by Jemma Jones

This money goes towards providing cancer patients with fuel vouchers, grocery vouchers, practical support and sometimes the costs of tests and treatment.

“There are a lot of patients who have to travel to Bendigo, to Shepparton, or even to Melbourne — so to be able to take some of the weight off their shoulders, even just by paying for their transport, can mean so much to them,” Mrs Walsh said.

“We have about 30 recipients that we help each year, and we aim to raise about $1000 for each recipient — so that’s a $30,000 total that we need to raise each year to be able to help these people.”

Mrs Walsh was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, experiencing just how cancer can turn a life upside down, so after conquering the illness, she decided it was her turn to help those fighting.

“I work here [KDHS] as a nurse, but I was also a recipient several years ago … so that’s where my passion comes in because I want to be able to give back now that I’m well. I’m one of the lucky ones,” she said.