In Memory of Megan Harridge
17.8.92 - 02.10.22
Megan was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in December 2020. She had surgery where they removed the tumour and one ovary.
The histology after the surgery showed that the tumour was a rhabdomyosarcoma.
Megan had nine months of chemotherapy the following year where she was also found to be allergic to Vincristine which had started to paralyse her vocal cords.
In November 2021 she had a PET scan and was given the all clear. The celebrations began and life started to become a bit more normal.
She commenced work late February 2022, but in March 2022 she started having some more symptoms and another PET scan showed that the cancer had spread.
Megan started another regime of chemotherapy five days on and then two weeks break. She had three cycles of this chemotherapy and another PET scan, and this showed that some of the tumours had shrunk and smaller ones were also gone. This was once again celebrated.
Megan was due to have peritonectomy surgery in August. At the end of July 2022, the cancer once again returned and this meant that the chemotherapy was no longer working.
Megan then started palliative chemo to try and give her a better quality of life.
In mid September Megan had another PET scan that showed the tumour weighed about 21 kilograms and that there was no point continuing chemotherapy.
Megan's wish was that she remained at home until the end. She passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on the 2nd October 2022.
Megan did not like the terminology of "losing the fight to cancer" as it implied that she had not fought hard enough, she liked the phase "murdered by cancer".
Megan wished to raise money for sarcoma research to save other families down the track from losing a loved one.
Cooper Rice-Brading Foundation
The Cooper Rice-Brading Foundation (CRBF) provides funding to support critical research for sarcoma, aims to heighten community awareness of this cancer and provides support for patients and families living with a sarcoma diagnosis.
Funds from the Megan's Memorial Fund will be directed to the FAR-RMS (rhabdomyosarcoma) trial which has opened nationally through the national scientific body for sarcoma, the Australia New Zealand Sarcoma Association). These funds will be utilised toward patient payments at each hospital site which supports the hospital to conduct the trial and subsequent testing.
CRBF will match every donation made for the first $2000 donated in honour of Megan.
CRBF is a voluntarily run NFP, which does not pay salaries, and because of our stellar our voluntary workforce, 100% of all tax-deductible donations are directed to the cause.