Health And healing Therapy

For the seventh year in succession, the Sydney Cricket Ground will be awash with pink in honour of Jane McGrath Day. Glenn McGrath speaks to the media as the McGrath Foundation celebrates it’s tenth anniversary.

Glenn McGrath with Jo Bevan (right), a McGrath foundation breast care nurse and Jo’s patient Jill Crozier (left). Source: News Corp Australia

HE may have lost his first wife to cancer, but cricket legend Glenn McGrath now considers himself lucky and hopes that Australia will celebrate, rather than commiserate, with him today as the SCG is turned pink for the seventh successive year.

McGrath’s late wife Jane died in 2008 of breast cancer and the Sydney Test has become the “Pink Test” in her honour ever since, with the third day marked by the wearing of pink by spectators.

Ten years after its inception, the Foundation has raised $6.5 millionto provide breast-care nurses to patients around the country.

Well, $6.5 million as of yesterday. The State Government will push that figure significantly higher today when it announces a $2.5 million donation to the McGrath Foundation, a grant that will go towards increasing education in breast awareness, particularly in young women.

“This donation is a great way to start our celebration of a decade of making a difference together. As Jane was only 31 when she was diagnosed, increasing breast awareness was always important to her, particularly young women,” Mr McGrath said.

Records have tumbled for Australia’s batsmen on day two at the SCG. But on this pitch, the challenge will be taking 20 wickets to win the match.

Mr McGrath, who married Sara Leonardi-McGrath in 2010, said although he had been through some tough times, he believed he was still a lucky person.

“I’m very lucky to do what I do and I want to give back. I look at it as a day of celebration, it is a great legacy for my children James and Holly, they look forward to today and this Test match,” he said.

“I love cricket, always will, and the SCG is my favourite ground in the world. To see the support we get at this Test match, and especially on the third day, something pretty special has been created here.”

Breast cancer patient Jill Crozier, who lives on a sheep-station three-and-a-half hours from Broken Hill, spent five months travelling to Adelaide and back every three weeks for chemotherapy.

Now, her breast-care nurse Jo Bevan, who is based at Broken Hill’s Royal Flying Doctor Service headquarters, has been funded by the McGrath Foundation she Crozier no longer needs to make the 1600km round trip.

The Foundation has already placed 101 nurses, but aims to raise another $3.8 million this year to place an additional 10 nurses over three-year periods.