Elise hopes to start conversations around the big C as ambassador for Terry's Big Bearded Ball Drop

Which is why the Benalla woman is making a stand.

Not just for her family members or her friends. But for herself.

Terry’s Big Bearded Ball Drop pushes for $200,000 in last weeks of campaign

She watched her father Mark die of lung cancer when she was 13.

Her mum Kerrie also suffered from skin cancer, so Elise knows better than anyone that cancer does not discriminate.

“We have an extensive family history, so pretty much everyone in my family has had cancer,” Elise said.

“My aunty is a survivor of breast cancer and her daughter has the BRCA1 gene.

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“And then all four grandparents. On my mum’s side, my grandma had lymphoma and my grandpa had pancreatic cancer.

“Then on my dad’s side, my grandmother had ovarian cancer and my grandpa had bone cancer.”

But it’s not just in her personal life, it’s invaded her professional life too.

As a podiatrist at Benalla Health, Elise has contact with cancer almost every day.

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“My role is in wound care, so I frequently pick up on wounds that are cancerous,” she said.

So, when family friend Terry Greaves begun his own fight with cancer, and later spearheaded Terry’s Big Bearded Ball Drop - a campaign to raise funds for the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre - Elise didn’t hesitate to get on board as an ambassador to raise funds and awareness for the cause.

“I’ve known Terry forever and grew up alongside his kids,” Elise said.

“You could always hear Terry’s voice from the (Goorambat) footy field when we were over on the netball courts.

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“He was such an amazing club’s person.”

Even as the big bearded cause has many of its male ambassadors growing beards over the course of the campaign, Elise, alongside her fellow female ambassadors, have found creative ways to start much needed conversations.

“I’ve been doing a virtual beard every week on Instagram and Facebook,” Elise said.

“Some of the other ladies have fake beards they are wearing, and there is another lady who incredibly used vegemite to make a beard.

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“And even wearing the ‘big bearded’ shirt on my runs around the lake, or around town, can start conversations.”

Elise said by channelling her efforts into raising funds for the centre, she hoped people’s experience when fighting cancer was made easier by having access to a first-class facility.

“When my dad was going through treatment, we spent a lot of time in Melbourne, so to have a cancer centre so close to home would have been amazing,” she said.

“Being in Melbourne for the last few weeks of my dad’s life was really tough.

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“We didn’t know the area; we couldn’t travel back and forth as frequently.

“You feel like a fish out of water.”

The campaign aims to raise $200,000 for the centre by November 13, and with $130,000 raised so far Elise encouraged people to dig deep and make a difference.

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“We know times are tough, but every dollar that goes to the trust goes straight into the cancer centre,” she said.

“We all know someone who has been touched by cancer, or who is going through it, or may experience it in the future.

“If we can raise as much money and awareness for the centre, it can only be for bigger and better things.”

● To donate, head to this link.

The Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre facility includes:

● 30 impatient beds;

● 28-chair day chemotherapy facility;

● 17 medical and allied health consulting rooms;

● Wellness centre (offering support services and complementary therapies such as massage, mindfulness and counselling);

● An education and training facility;

● Two paediatric treatment chairs connected to the children’s ward; and,

● A PET/CT scanner facility on the Albury Hospital site.

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