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In Australia, 1 person is diagnosed with brain cancer every 5 hours. And 1 person dies from brain cancer every 7 hours.
This week, the NRL community is coming together to change those horrific stats.
Round 11 (May 18 - 21) is the "Beanie for Brain Cancer Round" and fans are being asked to buy a beanie at the games, with proceeds going to the Mark Hughes Foundation - an organisation started by the Newcastle great after his own diagnosis in 2013.
The foundation promotes research into brain cancer and supports patients and their families. This year, the aim is to raise $500,000 to fund a 3-year research fellowship, conduct clinical trials and provide extra care for patients.
North Queensland superstar Jonathan Thurston is also getting in on the action - he's put a pair of signed boots up for auction. (FYI, they're the same ones he wore when he scored his 2000th point in the Cowboys v Broncos game earlier this year!)
The idea for the Beanie Round came from Matt Callander, former NRL Footy Show and Nine NRL Executive producer, who's been battling brain cancer since last year.And when you read the stats, you can see why he was so determined to make the Beanie Round happen.
1200 people die from brain cancer each year.
It kills more children than any other disease and more adults under 40 than any other cancer.
Perhaps the most shocking part is that, while survival rates for most other cancers have dramatically improved over the last 30 years, survival rates for brain cancer have stayed pretty much the same - and that's because there's not enough funding to find a cure.If you'd like to do your bit to change those stats, buy a beanie (or bid on JT's boots!) by heading over to the Mark Hughes Foundation.
