At just 24 years of age, Pamela received the shock of her life, she had blood cancer. Her only chance for a cure was through a stem cell transplant… however the donor list was still in its infancy and she was unable to find a stem cell match. She was forced to have a cord blood transplant, which is a much riskier operation. Thankfully, it was a success and Pamela Bousejean has been cancer-free since 2012.
Upon her recovery she discovered there were many similar stories of patients struggling to find their stem cell match due to their cultural background. Pamela is from a Lebanese family, and was more likely to find a match with someone who shares a similar cultural heritage. She discovered that there aren’t enough people of culturally diverse backgrounds registered as potential donors on the stem cell registry, ie Asian, Italian, Greek, Lebanese, Indigenous etc.
So, Pamela decided to use her experiences to help others and make a difference. She founded UR the Cure in 2015 to educate and raise awareness of the stem cell donor registry. Their aim is to increase the numbers and diversity of people on the registry to find more lifesaving matches for blood cancer patients.
On Friday the 29th of November, Geelong comedy group Locally Grown Funnies are donating their time and talent to support Pamela in the quest to beat cancer. ‘Chuckles For Charity’ features seven of Geelong’s best comics in one hilarious show, with all money raised assisting ‘UR The Cure’ to expand their search for potential donors to join the registry.
Come and have a laugh, tickets are only $25 and include supper, with drinks at bar prices. Go to www.trybooking.com/567410 and help in the fight against cancer!
HuG 