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Cooper Rice-Brading Foundation

@crbfoundation

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Generating critical funding for sarcoma research; promoting awareness & early diagnosis; whilst supporting those living with sarcoma & their families

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September - Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Nine years ago today, we said our final farewells to Cooper, unaware, through the enormity of our grief, of the significance this day held for children and young people like him living with cancer.

For us, the world stopped that day. Yet beyond our grief, spring had arrived, carrying its promise of renewal and new beginnings.

For Australians under 25 living with cancer, September must carry more than hope. It must bring recognition, urgency and meaningful change.

They deserve nothing less.

Cooper’s message was very clear throughout his gruelling treatments: No child should ever be forced to contemplate their mortality.

Children should be dreaming of their futures, not fighting for them.

Each year in Australia, around 1,800 children, adolescents and young adults aged 0–24 are diagnosed with cancer. Approximately one child or young person will die of their cancer every two days.

Behind every statistic is a child or young person, a family, and a future irrevocably changed.

While survival has improved for many cancers, progress has not been shared equally. For some cancer types, outcomes have barely changed in decades.

Sarcomas are one such cancer, disproportionately affecting children, adolescents and young adults, and accounting for up to 20% of cancers diagnosed in younger age groups.

Awareness leads to action: earlier diagnosis, sustained and coordinated investment in research, equitable access to clinical trials and new therapies, and compassionate, person-centred care for every child, young person and family.

We thank @markbutlermp , Cancer Australia and Owen Finegan and Dr Justine Stehn @thekidscancerproject for their leadership in developing the Childhood, Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Roadmap and the subsequent CAYA Cancer Mission, initiatives with the potential to fundamentally change outcomes for those young people living with sarcoma across Australia.

This Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we remember, we honour, and we keep going, , until every child and young person has the opportunity to grow older and realise the future they once imagined. by @crbfoundation

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Cooper Laine Rice-Brading
22nd January 1999 - 24 August 2017

Coops. A love no time or distance can touch. Forever and always...

#notgivingin #curesarcoma #missingyoucoops by @crbfoundation

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Today marks five years since Fergus McCulla tragically passed away.

We remember Fergus and honour his enduring legacy through the psychological support programme through CRBF established in his name.

The programme provides specialised psychological and emotional support for people affected by sarcoma and their families, supporting them through the emotional challenges of diagnosis, treatment and loss.

Five years on, Fergus is deeply missed. Through this important programme, his legacy continues to provide meaningful support to those who need it most.

We send our love to Jane, Norman and Anna, and to Fergus’s vast network of friends, as they mark another deeply difficult milestone today.

If you or someone you know could benefit from support while living with a sarcoma diagnosis, visit the link in our bio.

#FMPSP #curesarcoma #notgivingin by @crbfoundation

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Today, on World Cancer Research Day, we recognise the people driving progress in cancer research: Researchers, clinicians, trial teams, patients & families whose commitment moves the field forward.

For sarcoma, that work is especially critical. Sarcomas are rare, complex cancers that affect people of all ages. During Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we are especially mindful of children, adolescents & young adults, where small patient populations, limited trial opportunities and the need for specialised research make collaboration & sustained investment essential.

CRBF strongly supports the Australian Government’s commitment to childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer through the CAYA Cancer Roadmap and CAYA Cancer Mission. The Roadmap sets a national direction for improving outcomes and experiences for Australians up to 24, spanning supportive care, emerging technologies and therapies, and targeted research and clinical trials.

That commitment is being strengthened by the philanthropic sector through the CAYAC Collaborative, with outstanding leadership from Owen Finegan and Dr Justine Stehn from @TKCP, bringing organisations together around shared priorities.

For CRBF, this aligns closely with the CRBF National CAYA Sarcoma Research Strategy.

Over recent months, we have engaged with clinicians, researchers, patients, families & organisations across Australia to identify the gaps, barriers & opportunities in sarcoma research for our CAYA cohort. On 29 October in Melbourne, 40 leaders from across the national sarcoma community will come together for the National CAYA Sarcoma Research Strategy Forum which marks the final stage of this process.

Because research is not abstract.
It is new treatment options. It is access to clinical trials. It is stronger data and collaboration. It is more time. And ultimately, it is better outcomes for people living with sarcoma.

Advancing Research. Improving Outcomes. Changing Lives. by @crbfoundation

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Some moments matter more than words can ever fully express.

Recently, CRBF had the privilege of helping facilitate a very special experience for a family and their adolescent son, who has been advised that there are no further treatment options available to him.

It was something the family had hoped they might still be able to share together, a chance to step away, even briefly, from the realities they are facing and simply create memories as a family.

Thanks to the extraordinary kindness of remarkable team @thetiedyeproject_ , and the generosity of Mitch Olivey and the team at @village.roadshow Theme Parks, that hope became a reality.

What you made possible was so much more than an experience.

It was time together.

It was joy in the midst of the unimaginable.

And it was the gift of precious memories, moments this family will hold close for the rest of their lives.

At CRBF, we are continually reminded that sometimes the greatest difference we can make is not through something large or complicated, but through an act of compassion at exactly the moment it is needed most.

To everyone at The Tie Dye Project, and to Mitch and the team at Village Roadshow Theme Parks, we thank you from the bottom of our heart for your generosity of spirit.

Your kindness, generosity and willingness to help meant more to this family than you may ever know. We are deeply grateful to have you standing alongside CRBF and helping us support families when they need it most.

We each send our love and strength to this family as they face the days and weeks ahead, holding close the precious time they have shared and the memories they have created together.

#curesarcoma #notgivingin by @crbfoundation

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18 days ago

💙 Miniroos Presentation - Season 2026 💛

Saturday’s MiniRoos Presentation Day was the perfect way to wrap up another fantastic season at Brindabella Blues FC.

☀️ The sun was shining, the fields were lined with stalls, and most importantly, there were plenty of smiling faces. A huge turnout of players, parents, coaches and managers made the day a great one to end the season.

On top of the seasons presentation, it was also a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and raise funds for the Cooper Rice-Brading Foundation for Sarcoma Research. @crbfoundation

💚 A massive thank you to all of our coaches who took on the sliming challenge, particularly those who donated to get them in the seat 🟢

Thank you to everyone who supported the fundraising effort, from our amazing families and wider community to the many stallholders and sponsors who generously donated their time, products and support to help make the day such a success.

Days like Saturday are a great reminder that our club is about more than what happens on the football field. It’s about community, connection, giving back and creating great memories for our kids. 🤝

To our MiniRoos players — congratulations on a fantastic season! 🏆⚽

To our coaches, managers and volunteers — thank you for everything you have given to our players throughout the year. 💪🏼

And to our parents and families — thank you for being part of the Blues family. ⚽️

A great way to finish 2026. 💙💛 by @crbfoundation

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19 days ago

CRBF Chair The Hon. Trish Henry & Company Secretary Colin Brading (pictured) were present for the announcement by Minister for Health Mark Butler that the Australian Government will commit $5 million over five years from 2027–28 to support Australian participation in the LifeArc Worldwide CAR-T Pathfinder Trial & Paediatric Cell Therapy Accelerator.

This is a welcome step in strengthening Australia’s capacity to participate in emerging cell therapies for children & young people with cancer. While significant work remains, particularly for solid tumours such as sarcoma, the commitment supports partnerships, capability & clinical trial access so young Australians are not left behind. The CAYA sector will be linked with a worldwide clinical trials network that is aiming to translate CAR-T therapy to treating solid tumours.

For sarcoma, this is encouraging, but we remain realistic. CAR-T has delivered remarkable results in some blood cancers, while solid tumours remain far more challenging.

The timing is meaningful during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, when focus is on progress made & treatment gaps for CAYAs with rare cancers.

This investment reflects the Australian Government’s & Cancer Australia’s commitment to the CAYA Roadmap/Mission & a coordinated national approach to research, trials & emerging technologies.

CRBF has consistently advocated for coordinated research, equitable access to trials & emerging technologies, & stronger pathways between discovery, clinical care & families.
As Australia builds next-generation cell therapy capability, rare cancers such as sarcoma must remain in scope. Families should not have to travel overseas or raise extraordinary sums to pursue treatments unavailable at home.

This funding does not mean an effective CAR-T therapy for sarcoma is imminent. It does create an opportunity to build capability locally & ensure our young people are part of future advances.

#notgivingin #curesarcoma #childhoodcancerawarenessmonth by @crbfoundation

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20 days ago

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. A day that belongs to everyone.

Suicide touches people of every age, background and circumstance. Today we recognise those who are struggling, remember those who have lost their lives, & remind ourselves of the importance of connection, compassion & checking in on the vulnerable.

For our community, we also reflect on suicide through the lens of cancer.

A cancer diagnosis can change everything in an instant, at any age.

The shock of diagnosis, gruelling treatment, changes to the body, loss of independence, financial & family pressures, fear of recurrence, uncertainty about the future and, for some, being told their cancer cannot be cured.

For children, it can interrupt childhood itself. For young adults, education, careers, relationships, fertility and plans for the future can be thrown into uncertainty. For adults, cancer can bring enormous pressures around work, finances & family. For older people, illness can compound isolation, loss & declining independence.

The psychological impact can be profound.

Research consistently shows that people diagnosed with cancer have an increased risk of suicide. It is a reminder that treating cancer must mean caring for the whole person.

Mental health support cannot be an optional extra. It needs to be available from diagnosis, throughout treatment, after treatment ends, particularly when cancer recurs or progresses. It means listening. Taking distress seriously. Recognising when someone is struggling. Asking the difficult questions, & ensuring professional support is there when needed.

At CRBF, we established the Fergus McCulla Psychological & Emotional Support Programme, providing free professionally supervised support for people affected by sarcoma when they need it most.

Sometimes the greatest burden is the one we can’t see.

Today is a reminder that wherever someone is struggling, within the cancer community or beyond, compassion, connection and timely support can make an enormous difference.

And to anyone who is struggling, whatever the reason: you do not have to carry it alone.

If you or someone you know could benefit from support please go to the link in our bio by @crbfoundation

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24 days ago

Fathers. The superheroes who never needed capes.

It’s often only with time that we realise the smallest moments, and the simple gift of being there, would become the memories we treasure most.

Today, we celebrate the extraordinary fathers and father figures beside us, remember those deeply missed, and hold close all those for whom Father’s Day is touched by absence or sadness.

#Fathersday2026 #curesarcoma #notgivingin #missingyoucoops by @crbfoundation

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September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month & childhood cancer does not simply stop at 18.

In Australia, our children, adolescents & young adults, those aged 0–24, face cancers that can change the course of their lives and the lives of everyone who loves them.

Félix Laubi was one of those young people.

Diagnosed with a rare undifferentiated sarcoma growing on his heart & into his lung, Félix faced more before his 21st birthday than most of us could imagine.

Cancer became part of Félix’s life, but it was never the measure of it.

His partner, Lulu, remembers someone who lit up rooms, made people smile & embraced life with extraordinary intensity & joy. Even while facing the unimaginable himself, Félix worried about how those around him were coping.

Félix died in April 2024, just one week before his 21st birthday.

He should have had so much more time.

This year, Lulu has found a beautiful way to carry a little of Félix forward.

For @canteen_aus Bandanna Day on 29 October 2026, Lulu has designed a bandanna in his memory, inspired by the passion, colour & love of life Félix brought to those around him.

It is more than a beautiful tribute. Bandanna Day helps Canteen provide free support, counselling & peer programs for young people aged 12–25 impacted by cancer, the kind of connection that meant so much to Félix during his treatment.

There is something powerful in knowing that something created from Lulu’s love for Félix will now help other young people facing cancer feel supported, understood & less alone.

This month, Félix’s story reminds us why we must continue to advocate for every child, adolescent & young adult diagnosed with cancer, while recognising organisations like Canteen doing remarkable work for young people facing the unimaginable.

Behind every statistic is a young person with plans, friendships, families, relationships & a future they deserve the opportunity to live.

For Félix, and for every young person aged 0–24 who deserves the opportunity to grow older.

Visit the link in our bio to purchase Félix’s Bandanna Day bandanna and support Canteen. by @crbfoundation

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