Memorial Fund Makes Second Donation
11/05/2017
Sifu Jim Fung Memorial Fund for Cancer Research Makes $10,000 Donation to The Kinghorn Cancer Centre
By Tristan Fung
This is a significant year as it marks the 10th anniversary of my father's passing. I am heartened that we are able to honour his memory by making our second donation to cancer research.^ My father strongly believed that martial arts is not just about improving oneself, but about using one's skills to help others. I am incredibly proud to see that so many students have followed this philosophy and supported the efforts of the Sifu Jim Fung Memorial Fund for Cancer Research over the years. I am sincerely grateful for your support and look forward to working with you in achieving our next donation in the coming years.
Simo Linda and I would like to thank Professor David Thomas, Director of the Centre, and Ms Jessica Jones, Community and Corporate Partnerships Coordinator, for welcoming us to the Kinghorn Cancer Centre today. I was very interested to hear that Prof Thomas leads a research effort in the area of 'rare cancers', which combined are more numerous in incidence than 'common cancers'. Sifu Jim suffered from nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a rare cancer prevalent among people from Southern China and some parts of the Mediterranean. Prof Thomas pledged that the donation would be directed towards the Centre's research into rare cancers.
After joining us in our presentation of the cheque to Prof Thomas, Ms Jones led us on a tour of the Centre and its facilities, including Clinical Genomics, which is home to the only genomic sequencing equipment of its kind in the southern hemisphere. She also provided great insight into how the Centre is funded and it was eye-opening to learn how dependant the Centre is on private and corporate donations as contributions from the NSW Government and NHMRC only make up a small part of their total funding (see page 10 of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research's 2016 Annual Report). Thank you again to Prof Thomas, Ms Jones and the Kinghorn Cancer Centre.