By LUKE VOOGT
Highton’s Rebecca Picone hopes reaching the finals of a national award for mums will help her raise awareness of brain cancer.
The 32-year-old single mother is a category finalist in the Brilliant Biz Mum Awards for founding the Peace of Mind Foundation.
“I don’t do it for the accolades,” she said, “it’s something I’m very passionate about.”
Brain cancer was one of Australia’s deadliest cancers but received limited government funding, Bec said.
“It’s the leading cause of cancer deaths for children and men and women under 40. How can there be a cancer in Australia that kills so many people but gets the lowest levels of funding?”
The Barwon region had up to 60 new cases of brain cancer a year out of 400 in Victoria, Bec said.
Bec and brother Clinton founded the foundation in 2013 after the disease killed his wife.
The foundation has given more than $70,000 in grants to 60 Geelong families with brain-cancer victims. Another 100 families have benefitted from its support services.
Bec was shocked to discover she was a finalist in the awards’ Best Community Minded Mum category.
“I’m still not even sure who put in the nomination for me.”
Winners will be announced on 14 May.
More information about the foundation is available at peaceofmindfoundation.org.au.
