Cabrini Foundation - Donor Stories
DONATION SAYS IT
Gary Simonds, the principal of Simonds Homes, has made a major personal donation to Cabrini Health in appreciation of treatment he received at Cabrini Hospital Malvern.
Mark Simonds (left), Professor Peter Phelan, Gary Simonds and Dr Michael Walsh.
"The treatment my family has received was personal, professional and in my case clearly life saving," said Mr Simonds.
"I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in January 2010 and the doctors and nurses at Cabrini not only ensured my survival, but also treated me with the utmost kindness and professionalism."
Mr Simonds and his son Mark announced that their family would donate $300,000 over three years to support Cabrini Health's redevelopment program which, over the next two years, will focus on two new operating theatres, maternity and cardiac services.
Mr Simonds began building homes for Victorian families 60 years ago and is now the number one homebuilder in Victoria.
FAMILY COMFORT
Family members are always welcome to stay overnight with their loved ones at the oncology ward. In the past, it meant spending the night in an upright chair, which has not been the most comfortable prospect.
Now, through a generous donation from Jennifer Johannesen and her father Ian Dicker AM, relatives can sleep soundly on new sofa chairs donated by the Dicker family.
"When Mum was a patient last year, Dad stayed with her and was lucky enough to have one of the sofa chairs. He noticed that only half the rooms had them, so he made some enquiries and decided he wanted every room to have one," said Jennifer.
The sofa chairs have been a huge hit with families. Jennifer herself is no stranger to the hospital, having been a patient on and off for several years. She knows how important it is for patients to have their loved ones with them for that little bit of homely comfort and support.
Jennifer Johannesen presents the sofa chairs to the Executive Director Hospitality & Retail Services, Ralf Pelz
BREAST CARE NURSE
Jenny Macindoe, is Cabrini's first breast care nurse co-ordinator.
Over the last four years, our Breast Care Co-ordinator, Jenny Macindoe, has developed a successful Breast Cancer Nursing Support service providing easy access to information, support and care co-ordination for patients diagnosed with breast cancer.
With one in 9 Australian women contracting the disease, Jenny has been much in demand and has enhanced the care of these patients while educating our staff and students.
The good news is that more women are overcoming the disease with a five-year survival rate of 89 per cent. Between diagnosis, treatment, recovery and hopefully long-term survival, there is a clear need for continuity of care.
The role is a special one with Jenny supporting newly diagnosed patients throughout their care and connecting them to other key members of the treatment team. "One important aspect of my role is to clarify information that is provided at the first appointment when they are given the diagnosis and treatment is planned," Jenny says. "I then continue to liaise with the patient and the treatment team and act as a link between other areas of care, helping to ensure a smooth journey for the woman."
Jenny's position is part funded by someone who understood the plight of these patients – former breast cancer patient, the late Kerrie Hunter. Mrs Hunter had a long association with Cabrini, having had her two children here. As Kerrie recovered, she was grateful for the excellent care she received from both the doctors and nurses, on on the wards and in day oncology. Mrs Hunter described herself as an "ordinary person - not the sort who organises fundraisers", but she wanted to contribute to Cabrini to help other women facing breast cancer.
While, sadly, Mrs Hunter died early in 2011, her legacy lives on through her selfless contribution.
FROM AWARD WINNING LINGERIE TO DONOR
A couple’s vision is helping Cabrini’s cardiac patients and medical researchers.
Helena and Joseph Fröhlich West’s generosity will:
- Further our research into cardiovascular disease and care of cardiac patients
- Advance research into bowel cancer
- Help us to study and treat a range of gastrointestinal conditions
- Assist the teaching of surgical and medical undergraduate and graduate students
- Reduce pain through better use of local anaesthetics
- Help fund Australia’s first chair in surgery in a private hospital
Cabrini Institute is now recognised as the first private hospital in Australia to offer a Chair in Surgery, thanks to a generous donation from two remarkable Victorians. Now another philanthropic gesture by this Melbourne couple will ensure cardiac research leaps ahead.
One family’s name is carried through the corridors of Cabrini, Monash University and beyond as a reminder of the contribution made by Helena and Joseph Fröhlich West.
The Fröhlich West Chair of Surgery is well and truly established and is held by Adrian Polglase, the Professor of Surgery and Chairman of the Cabrini Monash University Department of Surgery.
The couple’s most recent donation will help open the way to new, improved cardiac care. Our cardiac researchers in the Department of Medicine can now develop a new stream of cardiac research, thanks to the generosity of Mr and Mrs Fröhlich West.
The impact of their support reaches across several areas including bowel cancer and upper gastrointestinal conditions. And the result? They will help patients of the future live better lives.
Mr and Mrs Fröhlich West’s generosity stems from a desire to give something back to the country that welcomed them after they fled Poland having survived World War II as a young couple.
They arrived in Melbourne in 1950 with few possessions but were armed with their precious sewing machines, hopeful they would provide a living.
And indeed they did. In an attempt to assimilate, the couple changed their name to West and started a lingerie business in Chapel St, Windsor. The business, Dominant Lingerie, took off and the Wests worked hard to supply department stores around the country.
“My wife, Helena, was cared for in a most devoted way by Dr Lipp who has since died. Over the years, we knew Cabrini deserved our support as they continued to care for my wife,” Mr West says.
“We wanted to make a start by donating, to set an example so others might open up their hearts.
“We also wanted to give back to the wonderful Australian people who supported our business for more than 40 years.” Mr and Mrs West’s contribution to the academic life at the Cabrini Institute and Monash will have far-reaching implications, according to Prof Polglase.
“A major focus of my research team has been the causes, prevention and management of bowel cancer and other bowel disorders,” Prof Polglase says. “This latest contribution from the Wests will offer us the opportunity to help so many people living with cardiovascular disease.”
