Memorial Fund raises $10,000
02/06/2010
Dr Dalley receives the donation.
The Sifu Jim Fung Memorial Fund for Cancer Research has made its first donation to the Medical Oncology Department of St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney.
A cheque for $10,000 was presented to the Department's Director, Dr David Dalley, by the fund's founder, Simo Linda Fung, and Senior Instructor Tristan Fung at St Vincent's Hospital on the 26th of May 2010.
The money was raised from March 2007 to May 2010 through a variety of activities including film evenings, auctions, haircuts and marathons organised and participated in by Academy members, and sales of the Grandmaster Jim Fung Memorial Service DVD and fundraising stickers.
Intended Use of the Donated Funds
Dr Dalley, who was also Sifu Jim's personal physician, said he was delighted with the Academy's generous donation which would be spent on laboratory research into cancer treatments at St Vincent's. He said this research had already produced a cancer vaccine and an antibody which were being tested in clinical trials.
Co-operation between the hospital's Medical Oncology Department and the Garvan Institute had led to the creation of one of the largest tissue banks for prostate cancer in the world. Important scientific discoveries had been made which may result in better treatments in future. Research is partly funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and other grants but most comes from donations.
Dr Dalley said that in early 2012, St Vincent's would open a new Cancer Centre which would encourage greater interaction between clinicians and scientists by housing them together.
St Vincent's Medical Oncology Department presently cares for over 700 new and nearly 4,000 follow-up patients and carries out over 3,500 chemotherapeutic treatments per year.
Ongoing Efforts of the Sifu Jim Fung Memorial Fund
The Sifu Jim Fung Memorial Fund will continue to operate and accept donations for this very worthwhile cause. Among future fundraising events planned is the participation by Senior Instructor Scott Bollard and a team of 12 runners from the Academy's Sydney HQ and Branches in the 11km 2010 Sutherland to Surf Marathon on the 25th of July.
Those seeking to make a large tax deductible donation to the Medical Oncology Department of St Vincent's Hospital should make a donation to the hospital directly. Please see the website of the Medical Oncology Department of St Vincent's Hospital for more information.
Photography kindly contributed by Zoom Productions.