The Veronicas postpone show in order to care for mother in Brisbane
After speaking openly about the “absolute hell” of watching their mother suffer from dementia and an uncommon brain disorder, The Veronicas have postponed a gig and rushed home, saying they are “needed back home in Brisbane”.
QLD News
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Pop duo The Veronicas have rushed home to Brisbane to care for their ill mother, postponing a planned Sydney show.
Brisbane twin sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso, who were due to perform in Sydney in just eight days, announced on social media overnight that they were rescheduling the show in order to return to Brisbane to be with their mother, Colleen, who has Lewy Body Dementia and requires full-time care.
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Due to COVID-19 border restrictions they are required to complete two-weeks quarantine, which they will do in Byron Bay, before being allowed to re-enter Queensland.
They had been in Sydney filming Celebrity Apprentice Australia, which will air in 2021, in a bid to raise money for The Brain Foundation.
“We are needed back home in Brisbane to be with our mummy,” they wrote to The Veronicas’ Instagram stories.
“And due to COVID restrictions, we have left Sydney and started our quarantine in Byron Bay.
“We know most of you understand that this is a deeply sensitive time for our family. That requires priority.”
They will refund tickets to the show, which will now take place in 2021, but will also play a replacement gig in Byron Bay on November 17, with tickets on sale today.
The duo moved back from Los Angeles to Queensland to spend as much time as possible with their mother following her diagnosis with Lewy body dementia and progressive supranuclear palsy, an uncommon brain disorder, in early 2018 after years of confusing misdiagnosis.
The duo act as her carers and have since become ambassadors for Carers Australia.
“There is no cure, no treatment, & little to no research, support or funding to do with this disease,” Jessica wrote to Instagram in March.
“It presents itself in the most cruel & debilitating symptoms, losing all motor & cognitive function over the course of a few years. I won’t begin to tell you here what that looks like. It’s absolute hell.
“I will never have the words to explain how unbearable it is to see someone you love go through something like this. The awareness of this disease comes second only to the note of strength my incredible Mummy has shown every step of the way.
“We are so blessed she is our mummy.”
She added: “We don’t share the reality of this part of our lives. It’s private, too confronting, too devastating and almost beyond our human capacity to process the daily grieving and energy required … but to those who know the reality of terminal illness, our hearts are with you.”
