(Image: Claudia Cataldo will be shaving Giulia Jones’ hair for charity on July 31. Picture by Elesa Kurtz)
Life can pile it on, as we all know, but Cancer is a pile of its own. Even after 16 years of managing a chronic health issue, I can’t begin imagining it.
Health experiences are certainly not to be compared. What we need is compassion, unity, support and fast recovery!
But I feel this situation I’m writing about has a cruel irony. How can Painaustralia’s CEO, Giulia Jones, be diagnosed with breast cancer?
As we know though, any health issue can happen to any of us at any time – oh life!
A few months ago and just appointed as CEO of Painaustralia, I was chatting to Giulia, who was making time to connect with people living with pain; our next step would be an interview for some media. Instead, I received an awful message.
Giulia is a tough cookie, watch our chat and feel that fire in her! And she’ll be using that fire to put this awful experience to great use – raising funds for So Brave and Painaustralia as she shaves her hair on 31 July.
I want us all to get behind her.
It’s an opportunity to maximise this incredible act of bravery and help two causes that inflict such grief on so many people; Cancer and chronic pain.
All funds raised will go to the So Brave breast cancer charity and Painaustralia the peak body representing those in chronic pain – we’ll be helping a considerable group of people with one donation.
Read the personal message I received from Giulia below to see additional ways to help and also learn what extraordinary work So Brave does.
Or, you can get straight to the donation page via this link.
I will also donate EVERY subscription amount of $49 made on My Health Story until 31 July 2023.
So if you’ve considered organising your health info with My Health Story, here’s more inspiration. Sign up here and then email me (or leave a note in the sign-up form) and I’ll send you a receipt of the donation; thanks to you!
Let’s get to it! There are just days to go until 31 July, when Giulia shaves her beautiful hair off.
*••••*! Cancer!!
Julia’s personal message:
Hi wonderful Soula!
I have a special request of you.
As you know I’m working my way through all the stages of breast cancer treatment at the moment and still keeping things going here at Painaustralia with the great help of Monika and Elli and the team here.
I’ve decided to do something really brave!
I’m going to have my head shaved for young women with breast cancer and for young women with chronic pain.
There’s so much to do for both of these younger women groups who have so much to deal with at a young age.
I have partnered with So Brave who do such a great job, and Painaustralia.
I wonder if you or your friends or workplaces could help with this cause. Maybe host a morning tea or see if others would like to help me to help others.
Please consider making a donation to this event I am hosting it would mean the world to me.
It’s very much out of my comfort zone but I think it’s the right thing to try and to help other and younger women going through all of this too in the midst of my health trials at the moment.
Giulia.
Julia’s official press release
Pain is an issue that impacts more women than men, and young women facing pain and cancer are in a difficult position as both these are seen as older person’s conditions.
Young women in this situation face tough choices about fertility, breast surgery, and are thrust into rounds of debilitating chemotherapy just to stay alive.
Our CEO Giulia Jones is one of these women; she is currently undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Support Giulia and other young women like her when she shaves her head on 31st July 2023.
The funds will support young women with cancer and living with pain.
So Brave, Australia’s young women’s breast cancer charity and Painaustralia, the peak body representing those in chronic pain will be the recipients of all donations which will help young women with cancer and young women with chronic pain.
So Brave is working to get a blood screening test available to all young women which has a higher detection rate than even current breast screening tests and is likely to have a higher uptake rate than breast screens. This is a really great innovation which will save young women’s lives.
Painaustralia is working to see young women and those with chronic pain taken more seriously and treated more thoroughly at the GP level when they seek care. We are both working for significant change to young women’s lives.
Donations to the Headshave can be made at the following link: https://painaustralia-ceo-headshave.raisely.com/
From our CEO:
“While I was diagnosed at 43 and after having kids, many young women have a much harder time of all the choices they have to make.
“Chemotherapy and surgery are confronting and very hard to go through. I want younger women with breast cancer like I have to feel that they are seen and supported.
“SoBrave is an amazing charity focussing on young women with cancer. They send women information but also letters from other women who have been through the same thing. In the overwhelming tidal wave of information, I was given with my diagnosis I found that these letters were the most helpful and empowering tool I was given as to how to tackle this challenge.
When seeking breast scans for cancer at a younger age there are more barriers and sometimes medical professionals discount the possibility of cancer, because it is seen as an older person’s issue, I also know that when young women have chronic pain they are often dismissed and experience a bias against them when seeking relief from for example chronic pelvic pain. So there is so much more for us to do in health advocacy for young women.” Giulia Jones said.
Thank you.
Giulia Jones
Chief Executive Officer
Go for it (just keep it respectful please!)