Please help support my 2020 Mission, a three part extravaganza…

Over the past decade, I have helped to establish in Tasmania a large research group focusing on newborn lung disease and the treatment of it. With the support of the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation (RHHRF) I have had the opportunity to contribute to advances in Neonatal care, some of which have been implemented worldwide. And as a hands on newborn specialist still very much involved in looking after babies, I have had the joy of seeing those improvements start to make a difference to the lives of many of our smallest Tasmanians.

The UTAS-RHH research group that I lead has grown to include 8 PhD students, one Masters student and 5 Honours students, all working on newborn projects, supervised and supported by senior academics at UTAS, including me. Unsurprisingly, we’ve outgrown our resources, and there are many great projects for which we don’t have adequate funding. So I wonder whether you can help me to make a difference, by sponsoring me as I trek the hills of Kokoda next April, on my 2020 Mission. I have resolved to do the Kokoda trek with a party of like-minded people coordinated by the RHHRF, in my case with the single purpose of raising funds for Neonatal Research to benefit the babies of Tasmania. Along the way I’ll be reflecting that the difficult path I’m on is probably a whole lot easier than that experienced by many of the critically-ill babies we look after, and their parents, during their stay in Neonatal Intensive Care.

I’m hoping you’ll join me on the first part of my 2020 Mission, which is to raise funds for the RHHRF through this GoFundraise page. Every single tax-deductible dollar you donate goes directly to benefit local medical research.

The second stanza of my 2020 Mission is to actually start and finish the Kokoda trek in April 2020! Naturally I’m looking for all the support I can get in achieving that.

And the third and most important chapter of the 2020 Mission is for me to lead our research team in applying for grants awarded by the RHHRF. It’s a competitive process, but my resolution is to be able to put in unsurpassable grant applications that mean all the money raised by my team of donors can ultimately be channelled into neonatal research. Since 2010 the RHHRF have given over $180,000 to neonatal research projects. I’d like to think we can secure even more funding in the next 5 years for projects that directly benefit newborns.

So now it’s up to you. Start to make a difference by helping me make a difference at the start.

Donations made through this platform are secure and will be remitted directly through the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation. Thanks so much for your support!

Help us fund local medical research – for Tasmanians, by Tasmanians.

“The Trek for Medical Research will make an immense difference to our capacity to support the health and wellbeing of our Tasmanian community. The Trek has the potential to not only continue to increase funding, but to build crucial awareness around the vital work of the Foundation. This enables us to do even more to support future generations and continue to invest into local medical research associated with the diseases and disorders that impact people across our state.”

- RHH Research Foundation CEO Heather Francis

The Kokoda Track was the scene of bitter fighting when the Australian Army fought to defend Port Moresby from advancing Japanese forces in 1942. Today, walking that same track has become an iconic pilgrimage for those wanting to honour the ANZAC spirit. The Trek for Medical Research will take place over ANZAC Day 2020 as a special commemoration of the historic events.

Regarded as one of the world’s greatest treks, the Kokoda Track links the south and north coast of Papua New Guinea across 96 kilometres of rocky mountain terrain, tropical rainforest and remote villages.

On this adventure, you’ll lace up your boots to trek alongside RHH Research Foundation supporters to raise funds to invest in vital medical research, for Tasmanian locals, by Tasmanian locals.

By day, you’ll trek Papua New Guinea’s tropical rainforest, the terrain as challenging as it is beautiful. As nightfall descends, you will stay in isolated camps, swapping stories with local Koiari and Orokaiva people and falling asleep to the nocturnal sounds of the jungle.

Though the Track is challenging, you’ll be rewarded with an unmatched sense of accomplishment and the knowledge that YOU have made a huge difference to Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation and helped fund the next potential medical breakthrough.

FIND OUT MORE HERE