Indigenous medical scientist Danielle Headland is choosing to honour her late mother by supporting Perth’s Walk for Women’s Cancer to help cancer researchers find new treatments and solve the mysteries of the disease that claimed her mother’s life.
Danielle’s mother succumbed to uterine cancer in 2013, two years after diagnosis.
“It felt like it happened really quickly once she started showing symptoms.”
Danielle, her 67-year-old father Douglas and friend Melissa are the Moorditj Mob walk team.
They will join more than 700 walkers on May 29 and head off on the 35km walk from the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research.
“Dad and I have been doing a number of training walks together. This is his first time walking 35kms. He rides his bike and likes to keep fit so he should do well.”
Originally from Moora, Douglas is a longstanding employee of the City of Stirling. His daughter laughs that he’s been there so long he’s already had his second long service leave.
Danielle recently started graduate study in Population Health after completing a Bachelor of Health Sciences at UWA.
She is an Aboriginal Project Research Officer at Telethon Kids Institute in the Ear Health team.
“I’m considering a Masters in Infectious Diseases in future, given that’s the area in which I’m currently working. Anything to do with ears, nose, throat, all those infections caused by little bugs, as well as outside causes too.
“People often think that only a certain group of people will get sick but it’s turning out to be kids in the urban area, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal kids as well,” she said.
Ear infections negatively impact the hearing of 10% of children but for Aboriginal kids it can be over 50%, often affecting their progress in learning to speak and their development and behaviour.
“If children can’t hear properly it really affects the overall trajectory of these kid’s lives.”
Anyone wanting to support Moorditj Mob can donate to them via www.walkforwomenscancer.org.au
