20 December 2022
The colour pink is the colour of Help.
At her family’s Pink Stumps cricket match for the McGrath Foundation, Jessica Keen is a whirl of activity, spreading her Moment of Help wide. Shrugging off the tiredness of chemotherapy, by stumps, $7000 is raised and so is awareness of breast cancer.
Jessica sums up the Pink Stumps match day in one word: “Phenomenal!” The mother of four is overwhelmed by the community help. And knows all too well the value of fundraising to support McGrath nurses, just like hers.
Marketing expert Jessica, 48, was “born into a cricket family”, including a brother who played professionally in England. Her three sons, aged between 17 and 12, all play. All through summer, the Keen family washing line is awash with whites and the hallway is a minefield of cricket bags. Jess helps with lunches, tactics and driving between up to seven games on weekends.
My whole life has been spent on the sidelines of a cricket field...If we can help raise money through the game we love then thats a bonus.
Jessica, husband Ben and their children – Olivia, 18, Xavier, 17, Sam, 13, and Henry, 12 – are avid supporters of the annual Pink Test at the SCG. The match, celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2023, helps raise funds for the McGrath Foundation, honouring Australian cricket great Glenn McGrath’s late wife Jane. Since 2005, the McGrath Foundation has helped more than 118,000 families going through breast cancer by funding specialist nurses who provide physical, psychological and emotional support for free.
In 2022, Jessica’s support for the Pink Test and the McGrath Foundation became personal. In August, a routine mammogram showed abnormal cells. Even though she “had no lump, nothing”, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Within weeks she started chemotherapy. “The journey’s hard, but the journey is the journey,” she says. She wasn’t alone. She was showered with community help including regular meal drops, gifts and support “to help me feel prepared”.
Every Christmas, the family makes hampers for a youth charity, buys a fresh tree for another charity and does food drives. Even during her first rounds of chemotherapy – she’ll have 16 in all, followed by surgery and radiotherapy – Jessica juggled work with volunteering at schools and clubs. Then she took her help a step further to organise the first Keen for Cricket Pink Stumps game to fundraise for the McGrath Foundation. They plan to make it an annual event.
Her sons found 24 players aged 12 to 17, there was music, raffles and a trophy. “Friends and family were like, ‘That’s so important, we’ll help’,” says Jessica. “They know I’m now a recipient of the McGrath Foundation’s help because I’m receiving Clare’s care – and they know how much I think of Clare.”One of 193 McGrath Breast Care Nurses across Australia, Clare John is a big player in this inspirational story of help.
Clare’s mission is to “treat these women as if they’re family – helping people navigate the initial shock and vulnerability, and helping them feel empowered and proactive.” Clare says the way that Jessica herself has kept on helping “when she’s in the thick” of treatment is incredible. “She’s always looking out for everybody else.” The respect is mutual. Jessica says having Clare on her team has “helped mentally and emotionally knowing I’m moving forward – it’s helped my whole process. Clare’s help and support is amazing.” Supporting the Pink Test will be extra meaningful for the Keen family this January. “Seeing the impact that the foundation has had on getting Mum through this journey is pretty special,” says Xavier. “If I can help Mum and the McGrath Foundation at the same time, it's a great opportunity.”
The Power of Help is within us all. Communities are stronger together. As proud helpers of the McGrath Foundation, we understand the importance of supporting families experiencing breast cancer. Find your moment of help and support the McGrath Foundation.
