In loving memory of Mikaila
The truly remarkable Mikaila came into the CRBF family two years ago, and her passion for life, and for living became an overriding force for all we did at the time and continue to do.
Mikaila helped so many through the very tough days, with her special brand of magic, her resilience, and her courage in the face of extreme adversity. She became the poster girl for grace and humility, despite the hand of cards she was dealt.
Mikaila's diagnosis of Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma (ASPS) came in February 2017, after a lump was found while she was on the trip of a lifetime with her long time partner Harley, who proposed marriage.
Throughout her treatment Mikaila was truly inspiring. Despite the relentless, raw agony she experienced at the hands of this cancer, her determination to live, to grow old with her husband Harley, and to see her children, Reef and Indie grow up, never waned.
Mikaila's mum Lisa never left her side. She would sleep in a hospital chair beside her daughter, sometimes for weeks on end, and allay her fears and anxieties, ensuring she wanted for nothing. It was never difficult to see why Mikaila was the strong, young woman she was.
Today her extraordinary family are left to contemplate life without her. The true depth of the pain they are feeling, is something that can never be articulated. Yet despite their pain and grief, they selflessly wish to help others by directing donations to dedicated sarcoma clinical research.
A truly unforgettable young woman whose spirit and love of life, will remain with those of us whose lives she touched so deeply.
The Cooper Rice-Brading Foundation
The Cooper Rice-Brading Foundation provides funding for the critical research required to change the current trajectory for young patients, living with a sarcoma diagnosis.
Sarcoma has not seen a change in mortality for almost forty years, and is now classed among those childhood/young adult cancers with the worst outcomes for survival.
The Cooper Rice-Brading Foundation (CRBF) aims to provide the long-term funding required to find a cure for sarcoma, to increase awareness to promote early diagnosis, and to provide support and guidance to patients and families throughout treatment and beyond.
100% of all tax deductible donations will go directly to the sarcoma specific IL-23 clinical trial to be conducted in 2020 at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.