By Lucy Waldron
The power of a gesture, the symbol of a colour and the determination of a fight.
Robyn McConville embodies all of those statements and more with her role in raising awareness for Breast Cancer.
Since her sister Bronwyn “Bron“ Burns was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022, Robyn has been colouring and shaving her head and wearing pink every June for Go Pink month.
Robyn took the pledge to GO PINK in honour of her sister, Bron who underwent a mastectomy following her breast cancer diagnosis.
She wanted to celebrate Bron’s courage and decided to take on all three pledges – wearing pink, colouring her hair pink then finally, shaving it off.
And this year is no different. Every day Robyn would come in to her place of work, the Warwick Hospital Pharmacy dressed in the most amount of pink she could put on her body all in the name of a good cause.
“I have never met a more passionate advocate, she is so crazy and enthusiastic, it’s amazing,” Bron said about her sister.
On Friday morning, Warwick Hospital was awash in pink as staff and visitors showed their support. The break room was filled with raffle prizes, food, and games in anticipation of Robyn’s shave day—a day when her pink curls would be shaved off by her nearest and dearest.
“Bron is the reason that I am doing this, to help fund research for new and improved treatments and prevention detection because ultimately the end goal is that no lives are lost to Breast Cancer,” Robyn said.
“All the donations I raise from Go Pink go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation to fund these scientists and research.”
But it is not a one-man show for Robyn, throughout the journey she has had the help of her best friend Fiona Taylor who hosted various raffles to raise money along with Elaine from the Warwick Hospital coffee shop who donates proceeds from her sales.
“You see so many people wearing pink and donating and it’s such an amazing hospital, it makes it all so worth it,” Robyn said.
In the hot seat, Robyn gave the first shave honours to her sister and several looked on in awe as her one-year hair growth was brought back to square one, but the smile did not leave Robyn’s face.
Once there were nothing but a few uneven patches of hair left on Robyn’s hair, she called upon anyone willing to colour theirs for the day and the number of people who put their hand up was amazing.
Several of her work colleagues and Bron herself added pink to their hair in support of the significant cause.
With $2,460 raised, Robyn’s June fundraiser is still open for a few more days. Donations can be made at fundraise.nbcf.org.au/fundraisers/robynmcconville.
