The power of one remarkable person
By Zoe Waters, Executive Director, Barwon Health Foundation
Every now and then, you meet someone who changes the mood of a room simply by walking into it.
Taryn Elder – or "Taz" as everyone who knows her calls her – is one of those people.
She is bright, funny, colourful and fiercely optimistic. The sort of person who makes other people feel lighter, even while carrying a weight most of us can’t begin to imagine.
This year, Taz has faced the biggest challenge of her life following a cancer diagnosis. Her days have been filled with chemotherapy, appointments, hospital stays and scans. Yet somehow, through it all, she has continued to be positive.
Throughout her treatment, Taz has continued to do what comes so naturally to her, bringing people together.
Having experienced the exceptional care of the dedicated teams at Barwon Health's Andrew Love Cancer Centre and Cancer Services firsthand, Taz wanted to give something back. She shared her story with remarkable honesty and invited others to stand beside her by supporting the local cancer care Barwon Health delivers to our community.
Dry July became another way for her to rally the people around her in support of local cancer patients and their families who are accessing Barwon Health’s cancer services.
Taz raised more than $15,000 through her Dry July campaign, her initial target was $500! This achievement speaks to the genuine connection she has with so many people.
She also played an instrumental role in helping our Foundation’s Team LOVE once again become Australia's number one Dry July fundraising team. This year's result marked an incredible sixth consecutive national title, something never achieved in Dry July history. The response from our community was truly extraordinary.
Taz has shown us that courage is about being honest when things are hard, finding moments of humour and choosing to make a difference while you're living through your own battle.
One of my favourite stories about Taz is how she borrows wigs from the Wig Library in the Andrew Love Cancer Centre's Wellness Lounge, generously funded through previous Dry July campaigns. She’s bestowed each wig with its own name, personality and alter ego. We have quickly learned that Taz is warm, witty and impossible not to smile around.
As a Foundation, we often speak about the generosity of our community. Taz embodies that generosity in its purest form.
