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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-09-05 Daily Xml
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LILLIES FOR LEUKAEMIA

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (15:37): I was pleased to attend the Gala Italiana on 21 July 2012 to support the Lillies for Leukaemia and the Italian Coordinating Committee. The special guest on the evening was His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce. Mrs Liz Scarce is the Patron of Lillies for Leukaemia. Last year on the occasion of the 150th year of the unification of Italy in 1861, the Italian Coordinating Committee held an Italian gala and, following on from that success, the function on 21 July was held. It is great to see the Italo-Australian community which still has many needs, in particular for its elderly, also supporting such a wonderful cause like Lillies for Leukaemia through the Royal Adelaide Research Fund.

Lillies for Leukaemia honours the memory of Merrilyn Stoilov, a happily married 36 year old mother of three children. Merrilyn was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia on 7 January 2005 whilst Merrilyn and her family were holidaying in Queensland. Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is a form of leukaemia or cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.

After her initial diagnosis Merrilyn was transported to the Mater Hospital in Brisbane where she received lifesaving treatment for approximately a month as she was classified as critical. In February 2005 Merrilyn was finally able to return to Adelaide to be admitted into the Royal Adelaide Hospital for further treatment. A bone marrow transplant was required to save Merrilyn's life but unfortunately on 28 April 2005, the very day Merrilyn was to meet with the coordinator of the bone marrow transplant team, she lost her fight.

Lillies for Leukaemia was formed to raise money to improve facilities for recovering leukaemia patients at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Merrilyn's dying wish was to ensure that other leukaemia patients would have the required standard of care and facilities. In this way her death could be a positive to saving lives in the future.

Merrilyn's parents, Mr Harold and Mrs Jan Reu, who established Lillies for Leukaemia in 2006, were present on the gala evening and had every reason to feel proud of their daughter's determination to leave this world a better place. Mrs Reu collated a beautiful montage of her daughter's life to highlight what a beautiful and determined person Merrilyn was.

Associate Professor Ian Lewis, head of the Clinical Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation unit at the RAH addressed the guests on the evening to promote the work of medical research at the Cancer Centre and the Royal Adelaide Hospital Research Fund and to pay tribute to Merrilyn.

Merrilyn is survived by her three children, Adriana (now 21), Alek (now 19) and Nadia (now 16), and husband Marko. I am told the name Lillies for Leukaemia came about because Merrilyn was a floral designer specialising in weddings and corporate events, not to mention the fact that her favourite flowers were lilies.

Lillies for Leukaemia has raised approximately $150,000 since its inception for the Cancer Centre at the RAH and its first goal was reached when in February 2011 Mrs Scarce officially opened the two isolation rooms in the refurbished Cancer Centre. The goal is to now fund research into finding a cure for this aggressive disease.

The delivery of clinical services at the Cancer Centre at the RAH as well as the important research for the advancement of medical knowledge is something that happens quietly in the background until we are touched by circumstances or have an interest in the area, or indeed when it is brought to our attention, such as on the occasion of the Gala Italiana.

Such evenings to raise funds for good causes just could not happen without the support of many wonderful partners and sponsors. Even in these challenging economic times many businesses open up their hearts and their wallets to assist their community. I congratulate Mr Eugene Ragghianti, Carnevale and Special Events Manager from the Coordinating Italian Committee for his dedication in driving the agenda and his tireless efforts to see the evening a success.

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