Toowoomba ranked second in GoFundMe campaign donations in 2023

Residents of the Darling Downs are known for their generous and supportive nature, but now new data released by a top fundraising body can prove it. See the campaigns that we got behind this year here.

It was just a few weeks after Nathan Mead’s 19th birthday that he first felt his knee was playing up.

His physio could not find the cause and his work in the gym was not helping so he went for an MRI scan which uncovered a stage four melanoma that had taken root in his leg.

It was a terminal diagnosis.

The cancer had spread through his body and he was given 12 months to put his affairs in order.

The news rocked his family but they refused to surrender and through a friend, who launched a GoFundMe campaign, they turned to the community for help which garnered more than $47,400 in donations.

It went on to be the second highest grossing fundraising campaign for Toowoomba in 2023.

“The money meant the world to us because it covered the treatment that Nathan needed,” mum Tracey Mead said.

“Nathan looks so well at the moment, you just would not know what was going on behind the scenes.”

Nathan Mead was a promising hockey talent until a savage cancer diagnosis set his life on a different path.

The bulk of that money paid for fortnightly flights to Adelaide where Nathan received CancuraVax injections, a vaccine built from the melanoma cells of other patients.

Mrs Mead said the insidious nature of cancer meant Nathan’s immune system did not recognise his own cancer cells as a disease, allowing them to multiply, but injecting him with cells of someone else’s cancer tricks his body into action.

“Nathan is well and his metastases are shrinking, but we know it won’t last forever,” she said.

“The treatment costs about $8000 a month so the GoFundMe covered half of that for the year.”

It brought the family extra time with their son, with Nathan still going strong about 14 months after he was given that heart-wrenching diagnosis.

The campaign was one the dozens launched in Toowoomba and wholeheartedly supported by the community.

Nathan Mead (centre) with family (from left) Stuart, Tracey, Cassandra and Jordan Mead at Curve-Ball 2023. Picture: Kevin Farmer

According to data released by GoFundMe, the Garden City was the second most generous city in Australia in 2023, coming in behind Bundaberg.

More than $820 million was raised nationally in 2023, with contributions from 5.2 million Australians.

GoFundMe regional director for Australia Nicola Britton said that calls for support were answered quickly in cities due to the close-knit nature of Australian communities.

“It is equal parts humbling and inspiring to see a record number of donations on the platform this year, especially against the backdrop of economic uncertainty for so many Australians,” she said.

“Despite the challenging circumstances, compassion and generosity is certainly not showing signs of slowing down.”

While the GoFundMe campaign covered half of Nathan’s treatment for the year, the rest of the rest was covered by money raised through the 2023 Curve-Ball – Toowoomba’ annual fundraising gala.

Ms Mead said the Darling Downs was home to some of the most generous people in Australia.

“We have lived here for 25 years and the community that is around us is amazing, but the thing that really surprised me was the number of young people who contributed to Nathan’s appeal,” she said.

“There were so many $5 and $10 dollars add up and they really make a difference.”

A GoFundMe campaign launched to help Kylie Murray and her family after her husband Jevan was killed in a backyard accident was our city’s third high fundraiser.

It gathered $16,924.

Jevan and Kylie Murray, with their children Jalisa, Tom and Lawson. Jevan sadly lost his life on a backyard accident on August 2, 2023.

Mrs Murray, who runs Maggie Moos Music, a roving music workshop that visits childcare centres, thanked the community for its support.

“On August 2 my family’s world was turned upside down when my husband Jevan was killed in a freak accident,” she said

“My three young children had lost their dad and we were thrown into a whole new world unrecognisable to us.

“However the ray of sunshine in our suddenly dark world was the Toowoomba community rallying to help our family with not only love and support.

“People were asking how they could help and this was a wonderful and simple way for people to give what each person could afford and have it go directly to our family.”

Mr Murray died after he was crushed by a vehicle while working under it.

It was something no one expected.

The money covered a proper send off for Jevan, and for counselling for Mrs Murray’s children.

“We feel very fortunate to live in the Toowoomba community where people so generously give to others who are going through a tough time,” she said.

“I think Toowoomba has been named one of the most giving places in Australia because we all like supporting locals.”