I first met Steve Willingale when he was the Acting CEO of the Penrith Economic Development Corporation back in 2007.
Steve’s contribution to Penrith is significant both through that role, his own businesses and the Penrith Valley Chamber of Commerce, but it is his role away from Penrith’s professional sector that I want to talk about today.
Today I want to talk about Steve’s role as a husband, and about the remarkable, sad, yet inspiring story of his wife Lynne.
I met Lynne in around 2008 when I was the Master of Ceremonies for an event that she and Steve put on at the Penrith Paceway to raise money for the fight against cancer. Such an event was not a rarity for Lynne; she’s regularly been a keen fundraiser for cancer charities.
Lynne’s long, personal fight started in 2001 when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer.
Five years later she was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer (in her lungs) and in 2012, she was again diagnosed with secondary breast cancer (in her liver). Two years ago, the cancer was almost eliminated by the use of Herceptin.
However, in May 2013 Lynne suffered a heart attack caused by the Herceptin, which weakened her heart muscles significantly. During treatment, doctors found brain tumours.
Since May 2013, Lynne has not been able to have chemotherapy treatment due to the heart problems. Her pain can only be treated by regular doses of Panadol or Nurofen.
Lynne has shown great physical and mental courage over the years of this battle, but unfortunately she will soon lose the war.
Knowing her condition was terminal, Lynne wanted to see her idol – John Farnham – in concert one final time.
Lynne along with 11 girlfriends secured tickets to the recent John Farnham and Lionel Ritchie concert in the Hunter Valley. As the concert neared, a combination of Lynne’s health and poor weather meant the trip couldn’t go ahead.
Steve and family friend Melissa Black contacted Jenny Howell-Clark of Orange Pigeon, which is a ‘make a wish’ type organisation for adults. Steve was trying to transfer the Hunter Valley tickets to the Sydney show, which was proving difficult.
Jenny worked hard with the team at the Dainty Group, the concert’s promoters, and eventually Lynne’s tickets were moved to the Homebush show. Even better, they got her into the front row.
Meanwhile, a family friend named Karla Patterson was aiming to go one better. She managed to arrange a phone call from John Farnham to Lynne the day before the Sydney concert.
A very surprised Lynne had an emotional talk with him and as Steve puts it, “her face lit up like a child in a lolly shop and four people at our house had tears streaming from our eyes”.
During the phone call, John invited Lynne to the sound check for the Sydney concert. The pair met, got a photo together and for Lynne, one of her dying wishes had come true.
“She’s now close to the end of her days but through the goodwill and decency of a number of people in recent weeks, she will end her life with some more exceptional memories,” Steve told me this week.
Steve originally phoned me trying to find a way to thank the many people who’ve made Lynne’s health struggles a little easier to deal with over the years.
So, to finish up, let’s raise a glass to not only Lynne and her exceptionally brave fight, but to the following people: Westmead Hospital’s cancer team, the team at Nepean Cancer Care Centre, Dr Jenny Shannon, Dr Michael Noel, Orange Pigeon and Jenny Howell-Clark, Paul Dainty, John Farnham, Karla Patterson and Glenn and Gaynor Wheatley.
On behalf of Steve and Lynne, thank you.
