Lions are pretty incredible.
Their work to support children's cancer research, to screen children for vision problems, and distribute millions of dollars in disaster relief through our region were all in the spotlight as Forbes hosted the Lions District Convention.
Lions from across District N4, comprising 44 clubs from Tumbarumba in the south to Bourke in the north, and east to the Blue Mountains, enjoyed Forbes hospitality at the Golf Club for their 2024 gathering.
It was a time to learn about all that Lions clubs, with their fundraising efforts like the humble sausage sizzle, achieve together.
Theresa Taylor from Young was one the weekend's featured speakers, and more than happy to share her family's incredible story, with gratitude to the Australian Lions Childhood Cancer Research Foundation.
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Theresa's son Harry was only 14, and not experiencing any real symptoms, when he was diagnosed with an 8cm brain tumour.
After surgery, his family learned it was a Glioma Stage 4 brain cancer, and although he had radiation and chemotherapy a new tumour grew within three months.
"That means it was a super aggressive cancer," Theresa explained.
The family was told they had exhausted treatment options but weren't about to give up.
They found a research oncologist who took a specimen of Harry's tumour to Germany so they could examine it to identify potential treatments.
That team referred them on to Austria where researchers were in the early stages of developing a treatment for the gene they'd found.
"We signed our lives away and they agreed to let us have it," Theresa said.
"It was incredibly expensive, it was two tablets a day, $130,000 for 30 days.
"The hospital funded the first round, then we got sponsors and bits and pieces to sponsor it, and it bloody worked.
"We're three years cancer free."
Today Harry is in Year 12 at school and his family remains incredibly grateful to everyone - including Lions and their Australian Lions Childhood Cancer Research Foundation - who was involved.
It's just one of the projects our community supports when they support Lions.
Lions District N4 have provided nearly half a million dollars in flood relief in the past few years, local Lion Peter Bright said.
It began with replacing white goods, then household furniture for those whose homes were flooded.
That followed $5.5 million in drought relief provided to the district in the three harsh drought years.
Convention attendees also learned how to become involved in the Lion's vision screening program: local Lions have been going into local schools to provide eye checks with as many as one in five children referred to an optometrist.
Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM welcomed attendees to Forbes, Member for Orange Philip Donato officially opened the convention, and Monica Wren from Forbes Family History Group gave an interesting insight into local history.
