ICU nurse receives potentially life-changing donation from neighbourhood kids

A Geelong ICU nurse raising money for breast cancer research was left shocked and amazed after the neighbourhood children rallied together to donate.

An ICU nurse’s bid to raise money for breast cancer has been aided by the help of neighbourhood kids and their ambitious lemonade stand.

Geelong woman, Rachel Swanson’s decision to shave her head for breast cancer research came as an easy decision after seeing friends and family suffer around her.

Ms Swanson set up a fundraising page on September 26 and received $1,500 in just a few short hours, but the most surprising contribution came from her children and fellow neighbourhood kids.

“I am extremely proud and absolutely amazed,” she said.

“No one suggested to them that they should raise money, I thought they were trying to raise money for themselves but they created their own signs and all the donations were for breast cancer.”

In three days across the school holidays, the children raised $238 at the lemonade stand which was donated to Ms Swanson’s fundraiser.

“My neighbour recently got diagnosed and is going through treatment so her kids wanted to get involved and then all the neighbourhood kids wanted to.”

In the last five years, Ms Swanson said her mother, best friends and next door neighbour have all been diagnosed with breast cancer.

ICU nurse Rachel Swanson surrounded by the neighbourhood entrepreneurs. Clockwise from the back left: Piper 10, Tully 11, Nelly 8, Matilda 10, Paterson 7, Jimmy 5, Gypsy 9 and Rylie 11 Picture: Mark Wilson

The last straw came recently when two work colleagues received their diagnosis.

“There is so many people around me being diagnosed or effected somehow,” she said.

“I have another friend who had a double vasectomy about five years ago because she carried the gene. It has been all around me.”

Despite already saving lives for a living, Ms Swanson said she was excited to make the extra contribution with her fundraiser receiving over $6,000 from almost 100 donors.

Ms Swanson hopes to raise a total of $7,000 by October 16.

To donate head to https://bit.ly/3mqYUh4

Originally published as ICU nurse receives potentially life-changing donation from neighbourhood kids