Marjorie Jackson-Nelson’s $7 million fight to cure leukaemia

Former Governor Marjorie Jackson-Nelson has announced the 10th SA researcher to receive support through the Peter Nelson Leukaemia Fellowship Research Fund which has raised $7 million.

Marjorie Jackson-Nelson and SAHMRI researcher Dr Laura Eadie. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

She’s been an Olympic champion, world record holder and Governor of South Australia – but this week the Hon. Marjorie Jackson-Nelson AC, CVO, MBE donned a very personal hat as a fundraiser seeking a cure for leukaemia.

When her husband, Olympic cyclist Peter Nelson, died from the disease in 1977 Mrs Jackson-Nelson established the Peter Nelson Leukaemia Fellowship Research Fund.

The fund has now raised more than $7 million which has been invested into supporting some of the state’s best and brightest leukaemia researchers.

This week Dr Laura Eadie from the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute became the tenth South Australian researcher to receive funding through the fellowship administered by Cancer Council SA.

The $300,000, three-year support will allow her to investigate alternative targeted treatment options for T-ALL, a devastating form of leukaemia.

Mrs Jackson-Nelson said her husband would be proud.

“To think that now, more than 40 years on, we have funded 10 research projects is a pretty amazing thing,” she said.