Connor Dawes was an ebullient and spirited 18-yearold whose life was cut short by a brain tumour.
Athletic and academic, Connor was diagnosed with an Ependymoma in 2011. After a 16-month battle, which included major surgery, intense radiotherapy and chemotherapy that resulted in loss of movement to his right side, poor vision and severe memory loss, he died in 2013. Connor’s mother, Liz, says his spirit endured even as his bodily functions deteriorated. "He fought the good fight, the best fight, with dignity, courage and humour that belied his years,’’ Liz says.
After Connor’s death, his family created the RCD (Robert Connor Dawes) Fund to honour his memory and raise money for both research and the types of care that kept him at home until his death - such as musical therapy, yoga and an in-house nurse - for young people battling brain cancer who otherwise could not afford it.
"He never complained the whole time he was sick; cancer is terrible but he handled it in such a noble way,’’ Liz says. ‘’He only had 18 years but this way, through the charity, he lives on. For me it is a natural response to what has happened, this is how I’m still being his mum.’’
Brain cancer is the most fatal and most common of all childhood cancers. Clinical treatments help just 50 per cent of children but leave 90 per cent with lifelong physical and mental impairments, yet funding for research is limited. According to Cancer Council Australia statistics, 1680 brain cancers were diagnosed in 2010. In 2011, there were 1272 brain cancer-related deaths.
About 1400 malignant brain tumours are diagnosed in Australia each year, about 100 in children. Data about benign brain and spinal cord tumours is not collected but Cancer Council Australia estimates 2000 people, including children, are affected each year. It is not known what causes brain tumours and there are no proven measures to prevent them.
This year, the RCD Fund held its 8th annual Connor’s Run, an 18.8-kilometre fun run. In 2019, over 5000 participants raised more than $1.2 million, the biggest run yet. In total the past seven Connor’s runs have raised $4.6 million for paediatric brain cancer. ‘’Researchers are on the verge of a breakthrough, they just need support,” Liz says.
They hope that a collective voice will put brain tumour matters on the agenda for more research and funding so that the killer can be eradicated.
“I often told Connor that his brain was a gift and only he could decide if he wanted to share his gift for good with the world,” Liz says. “He never really got the chance but now we can do it for him.’’
