Danielle Doughty pays tribute to her late father each year when she lights a golden lantern. 69180 Picture: JOE MASTROIANNI
BY NATALIE GALLENTI
WHEN Danielle Doughty lights a lantern at the Leukaemia Foundation’s Light the Night event she will be paying tribute to her beloved father.
The Keilor Downs resident has been lighting a gold lantern for the past three years to help raise much needed funds for the foundation which is dedicated to the care and cure of patients and families living with leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and related blood disorders.
Ms Doughty’s father, Neal Stewart, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2007. Chemotherapy treatment followed, as did weekly visits to the hospital for the next five months, however the young father was not responding favourably to treatment and was eventually matched for a bone marrow transplant later that year.
But in May 2008, Mr Stewart’s body rejected the transplant, resulting in kidney failure and he passed away later that year. He was only 41.
Ms Doughty said filling the sky with gold lanterns was her way of remembering her father and her sister would be holding a similar event in Perth. The family hopes to raise as much money as they can to help fund cutting edge research and free support services to patients and families.
“I do it each year for him,” the 24-year-old said.
“I’m proud to be raising money for such a good cause.
“It’s a way to pay tribute to my father.
“I used to get really emotional, it was so sad at first, but now it feels really uplifting.
“It helps me pay tribute to him and remember him.”
This year, it is projected that 2500 Victorians will be diagnosed with leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma, and blood cancer will be the second biggest cancer killer in Australia after lung cancer.
The Light the Night event will be held on Wednesday 21 September at the Alexandra Gardens, from 5.30pm. To sponsor Danielle or to register to participate call 1800 500 088, or visit www.lightthenight.org.au.
