Macquarie breast cancer research donation

The donation was made by Truc Lam Zen Incorporated, a registered charity that provides aid for victims of disasters and funds philanthropic projects, such as free cervical cancer screening for women in Cambodia.

The money was raised at a charity gala in November, which was attended by 500 people and raised a total of $250,000. The balance was donated to Cancer Council NSW.

The charity’s public officer and treasurer, Mrs Thuy Nguyen, is a breast cancer survivor who was treated by MQ Health clinical oncologist Dr Dhanusha Sabanathan as part of a trial run by Macquarie University’s Clinical Trials Unit.

She and fellow Truc Lam Zen member Mr Thuan Nguyen, and friends Mrs Ha Tran, Mr Chinh Dang, Mrs Monica Luong, Mrs Maria Dang and Dr Ha Tran worked together to organise the gala.

Mrs Nguyen, Mrs Luong and Mrs Dang visited campus last month for a behind-the-scenes look at the groundbreaking work the donation is supporting.

The group was hosted by Professor Wang and Associate Professor Simon Tsao, along with Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Amin Hassanzadehbarforoushi, Medical Research Officer Ms Audrey Nadalini, and PhD candidates Dr Victoria Tan and Mr Long Ngo.

Following her personal experience, Mrs Nguyen has become a strong patient advocate for the Nanosensors Research Group and its lifechanging work. Professor Wang expressed her gratitude for the support of Mrs Nguyen and the gala organising team, as well as the guests who made it such a success.

“It means so much to us to meet the people who put their time, effort and money into making our work possible,” she says.

“We were very happy to be able to host Mrs Nguyen, Mrs Luong and Mrs Dang and show them some of the impact of their generosity and what it could mean for the community.”

_{Monica Luong, Thuy Nguyen, Professor Yuling Wang and Maria Deng (front row) with members of the Nanosensors Research Group - Dr Amin Hassanzadehbarforoushi, Associate Professor Simon Tsao, Audrey Nadalini and Victoria le Ching Tan.}