The Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation was formed in 1996 by Australian sporting champions Reg Gasnier, Raelene Boyle, Bob Skilton and Mark Taylor.

Sporting Chance is a not for profit organisation committed to financially supporting:

• Programs which allow palliative care children to spend as much time at home as possible by providing remote access to specialised nurse care.

• Mobile home care units that help make life easier for children with cancer.

• A number of research scholarships for doctors and scientists exploring better ways to treat and overcome cancer.

A percentage from every sale of a Fujitsu General air conditioning system goes towards the Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation. To date, more than $8.4 million has been donated to the organisation, which includes the Raelene Boyle Outreach Program in Queensland.

Raelene Boyle Outreach Program

Operating out of the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, this program covers outreach services in remote areas throughout Queensland, and includes a web-based cancer and palliative care program.

Patients are able to connect to a treatment centre from home via a webcam and receive consultations directly from their care givers. Nurses are able to advise parents and children on the correct medication, along with the correct dosage to take. This allows parents and children to return home from hospital, and still receive the highest level of care remotely with occasional home visits.

This service has enabled families to spend less time on the road travelling to and from hospital visits and more precious time spent at home as a family.

As a result of the success of the Raelene Boyle Outreach Program, Sporting Chance has opened this service to non-cancer patients, however the vast majority of patients are being treated for cancer, including families like Slater’s who have been able to utilise these services, with very satisfying and life-changing outcomes.

At 18 months of age, Slater began losing his balance and his head kept tilting to one side. He was diagnosed with a brain tumour. With the help of Sporting Chance, Slater’s family was able to access the support of the Raelene Boyle Outreach Program to help Slater ‘kick cancer’s butt’.

Mark Taylor Outreach Program

At just five weeks old Archie’s mum started to notice irregular eye movement in her child. At 12 weeks he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer of the eyes. The family lived in Bathurst, yet needed to attend regular treatment at The Children’s Hospital, Westmead. With support from the Sporting Chance Mark Taylor Outreach Program, Archie’s family was connected with Bathurst hospital. Assistance from the local hospital meant Archie’s family didn’t need to relocate to Sydney, or be separated for long periods during treatment. This enabled their life to be as normal as it could be under the circumstances, surrounded by family and friends.

According to Dr Luciano Dalla- Pozza - Head, Oncology Department, The Children’s Hospital, Westmead; “Without the support of Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation and the Mark Taylor Outreach Program, meeting the needs of rural children and their families would not be possible. The Outreach Clinical Nurse Consultant position supported through Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation directly benefits the children and families in our care and makes an enormous difference to their lives, not just now, but in the future. The Children’s Hospital at Westmead is proud and appreciative of our partnership with the Foundation that has achieved Benefactor status from the Hospital.”