THE worst part of having to watch a family member suffer from cancer is the powerlessness to stop the pain.
This was the feeling which broke the heart of Jenine Kelly from Chambers Flat as she cared for her twin sister Lorren Greaver who was diagnosed with aggressive thyroid cancer in August 2017.
”You can talk until you are blue in the face, but it will not take away the pain or what she has been through,” she said.
“It hurts because you feel so powerless, there is no physical solution. That is what is hard.”
Since taking maternity leave last year, Ms Kelly has cared for her sister who could not drive, struggled to dress her self and could not move her arm without feeling pain.
Ms Greaver required surgery for the removal of her thyroid in 2017 but her health is heading in the right direction and she has been told she will be able to return to a normal life.“
The experience inspired Mrs Kelly to take action to make life a little bit easier for other people going through the same experience.
She will cut off her long hair during an Annual Dinner Dance Cancer Council fundraiser on June 16 and donate it as a wig to offer a degree of normalcy to others who have lost their hair during chemotherapy.
“ Even though my sister hasn’t lost her hair it hits close to home that she could have,” Mrs Kelly said.
“So apart from the financial contribution I’d like to give my hair to someone who has lost theirs.”
Ms Greaver said she was sure her sister’s contribution would make a difference.
“For some people it is not about the vanity of having hair, it is that their identity is disappearing,” she said.
“Losing your hair can be quite painful and is just another sign of the struggle they have to go through.”
The Annual Dinner Dance will be held at 2 Wineglass Drive, Hillcrest at 6pm with a cost of $30 for adults and $5 for children.
To book a ticket contact Bernice on 0417 792 269.
