Glenn Brown 1988 - 2003
Glenn Brown
Glenn Brown, a Kalgoorlie schoolboy, who at just 15 years of age, lost his fight against cystic fibrosis.
Glenn loved music, singing, Hawaiian shirts, Holden cars and the Eagles. He was a funny, mischievous country kid who was always singing, playing pranks (like hiding in the cupboard from the physio’s) and meeting friends as he wandered around the hospital.
Each year the Melbourne Cup Lunch is held in memory of Glenn with the event raising over $611,000 for life-saving research.
What is cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder that affects the lungs and digestive system. The exocrine system of people with cystic fibrosis malfunctions, meaning they develop excessively thick and sticky mucus within the lungs, airways and digestive system. This weakens the digestive functions of the pancreas and traps bacteria in the lungs resulting in recurrent infections, leading to irreversible damage to these organs.
A baby is born every four days with cystic fibrosis and sadly, there is currently no cure.
History of the Glenn Brown Memorial Fund
The event started by mums Janeine Thomas and Alison Guest.
“I met Glenn when my daughter was undergoing CF treatment alongside him at Princess Margaret Hospital in 2003,” said Janeine.
“He told me that he wasn’t ready to die and he didn’t want to be forgotten.
“Alison and I wanted to make sure his memory would live on forever, so we started a fundraising event to raise monies to fund life-changing research to hopefully find a cure one day.
21 years later funds from the event have supported ten research projects and has made a significant contribution to investigating the causes, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis.
“We’re so pleased so many people are being helped through the ground-breaking projects funded by the Glenn Brown Memorial Fund.
“But even more importantly Glenn’s life is celebrated and honoured.”
How you can make a difference
You can help keep Glenn’s memory alive by attending the Glenn Brown Melbourne Cup Fundraiser, donating towards the Fund or by becoming an event partner.
All funds raised go directly into supporting medical research to find new ways to prevent, diagnose, treat and cure cystic fibrosis.
