How one little girl’s legacy is set to shake up cancer research funding

ERIN Griffin died aged just 14 but her mother will continue her daughter’s fight for a cure for childhood cancer.

6/6/15. Amanda Griffin's daughter, Erin died of brain cancer last year at 14 years of age. Amanda is trying to raise awareness and unity for children with Cancer through CureFest Australia. Pic Keryn Stevens

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ERIN Griffin died aged just 14 but her mother will continue her daughter’s fight for a cure for childhood cancer.

September 1 will mark a year since the Aldinga Beach teenager lost a two-and-a-half year battle with a rare and incurable brain cancer surrounded by family at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Despite her diagnosis the girl with the piercing blue eyes used her illness to campaign for greater funding for childhood cancer research and in 2013 spoke to thousands at the huge CureFest for Childhood Cancer rally in Washington DC.

Her mother is now aiming to honour Erin’s legacy by establishing a CureFest event in Australia.

Ms Griffin has met with politicians including Federal Health Minister Sussan Leys last month lobbying for event funding and has also started an Australian arm of TheTruth365 website raising awareness for childhood cancer.

“The day before she died Erin looked at me and said: ‘Mumma, please Mumma, no other little kids are to suffer like this, like me’,” Ms Griffin said.

“She was then sedated and we waited for 30 hours for her to die, knowing we would never see those beautiful eyes open again.

“My values are true and honest — I need to keep my promise to Erin. For CureFest to happen we need Government support and I call on them to help the children and families with cancer.

“Awareness and unity within the childhood cancer community is also the key to encouraging an increase in childhood cancer research funding.”

Erin’s fighting spirit has earned her a nomination in the Child of Courage medal in the Pride of Australia Awards.

Erin had endured more than 30 rounds or radiation on her inoperable brain tumour and shortly before her death she told The Advertiser that she did not want another family to go through the same pain “because no one really took it on board that brain cancer is the nation’s biggest killer of kids”.

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE INSPIRING? Nominate them for a Pride of Australia Award here

Pride of Australia categories:

■Outstanding Bravery Medal: For helping to save, or attempting to save, a life.

■Courage Medal: For overcoming personal adversity through determination and strength of character.

■Heroism Medal: For protecting the community through their work with the emergency services or the defence force.

■Community Spirit Medal: For those whose selfless and largely unacknowledged actions have enriched the lives of those in their community.

■Child of Courage Medal: For those aged 16 years or under who have overcome adversity through strength of character or helped save, or attempted to save, a life.

■Young Leader Medal:

For those aged 25 years or under who have advanced a community through academic or personal endeavour.

■Care and Compassion Medal: For volunteers, carers or medical professionals who have made a significant improvement to the lives of those around them.

■Inspiration Medal: For teachers and role models whose compassion and wisdom while teaching, coaching or mentoring our youth has been truly inspiring.

■Environment Medal: For those whose actions prove that making a difference to
the environment can make
a difference to the broader community.

■Fair Go Medal: For Australian citizens who were born overseas and have enriched Australia through their community involvement.