Community rallies for Jessica

If it takes a village to raise a child, the same village will often come together to mourn a young person taken too soon.

Throughout their cancer journey, the Lindner family became familiar with the research into rare childhood cancers being undertaken at Hudson Institute, as Jessica’s tumour was biopsied and analysed at Hudson Institute before a customised treatment regime was designed.

After that experience, and the devastation of losing their daughter, they chose to create something positive out of their grief, giving hope to other families who might find themselves in a similar situation.

It is also an excellent tool for training PhD students, medical students and paediatric oncology research fellows in childhood brain cancer research.

“By raising funds in Jessica’s name for this important research, we are hopeful that one day another family won't have to lose a child to a similar disease.”

That was the sad but inspiring story surrounding the death of 13-year-old Jessica Lindner. Diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, Jessica fought until the last moments, but eventually succumbed to the disease. It wasn’t the end of her story, though – it actually marked a new beginning.

Susi and Luke Lindner requested that friends, family and colleagues make donations in Jessica’s name instead of gifts or flowers. That decision resulted in nearly $10,000 being raised by the Lindner family’s community. When Luke’s employer Invetech pledged an extra $11,000, they had raised almost $21,000.

That total was enough for Hudson Institute to purchase a digital microscope with computer software that allows us to recognise and analyse cancer cells grown from patients.