A FRIEND IN NEED: Amanda Deans and Trent Frazer have been diagnosed with forms of leukaemia, Mr Frazer's wife Angela (far right) organised a ball in Orange on Saturday to raise awareness and vital funds for the Leukaemia Foundation. Photo: STEVE GOSCH
THE power of the people came together on Saturday to help two Orange friends in need at the recent A Touch of Orange Ball.
Trent Frazer and Amanda Deans, both from Orange, met while at university in Sydney and were subsequently diagnosed with blood related cancers within three weeks of each other.
The ball was organised to raise awareness of blood related cancers and much-needed funds for the Leukaemia Foundation branch in Orange.
It was on the persistence of then-fiancee Angela that Mr Frazer went to have a flu he couldn't budge, checked out by a doctor in August 2010.
"I felt like I had a bit of flu but definitely didn't expect to hear the word cancer," he said.
Being diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) came as a complete shock to Mr Frazer.
"I was playing football, I felt pretty fit," he said.
After a range of treatments including chemotherapy Mr Frazer's levels of CML are now "unmeasurable"
For Ms Deans what began as ongoing back pain ended with a diagnosis of Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2011 when she was 25 years old.
When doctors diagnosed Ms Deans she was already in stage four of the disease.
"It would have kept spreading until my immune system couldn't cope any more," she said.
Mr Frazer's wife Angela was the driving force behind the ball and said the 460 tickets for the fundraiser quickly sold out.
"It was 13 months in the planning...we just wanted to put something back," she said.
Mrs Frazer said she hoped to have raised enough funds from the ball so a vehicle could be purchased by the Orange branch of the Leukaemia Foundation to help local sufferers attend medical appointments.
Leukaemia Foundation community relations Peree Watson said having a vehicle for people would be a huge benefit.
"The thing we're most excited about is we haven't been able to previously provide patient transport," she said.
To find out more information about the Leukaemia Foundation visit www.leukaemia.org.au.
nadine.morton@ruralpress.com