By XAVIER SMERDON
WHEN Clinton Matthew’s wife Caroline passed away from brain cancer two years ago, creating a legacy for her was the last thing on his mind.
But in just a short amount of time, with the help of his sister Rebecca Picone, Clinton has managed to turn the worst time of his life into something truly inspirational.
The siblings founded the Peace of Mind Foundation, which aims to increase awareness, support and funding of brain cancer research, six months ago.
“Caroline was very outgoing, she was an extravert and she was very passionate and positive throughout her journey with the cancer,” Mr Matthew’s said.
“She never let the reality of the situation get in the way of helping others.
“I think she would be fully supportive of us setting up this foundation in her name and if I was the one who had been sick then she would have done exactly the same thing for me.”
Next month the foundation will host its first ever fundraiser, with the aim of making more than $30,000, to support brain cancer sufferers and their families.
And in an incredible gesture of love for his wife and the mother of his three-year-old son, Mr Matthews has spent almost $15,000 out of his own money to get the fundraiser off the ground.
He will not even make any of the money back with 100 per cent of the proceeds raised from the event going straight to the charity.
“It’s something that I feel that strongly about and I just want to help other people now,” he said.
“If we can make even a little difference then it will all be worth it.”
Ms Picone said the main goal of the event would be to raise community awareness of the lack of support available for people suffering from brain cancer.
“It’s something that people really don’t know much about,” Ms Picone said.
“Out of all cancers, brain cancer is the number one killer of Australian children and the number one killer of men of any age.
“There is a major lack of support out there for people and while brain cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, it is also one of the most underfunded.
“We want to promote awareness about this and be able to hopefully provoke change.”
The Mega Family Fun Day will be held on 27 April at the Victoria University Athletics Track from 10am to 4pm.
There will be kids entertainers, carnival rides, live music and markets.
For more information visit www.peaceofmindfoundation.org.au
