LEANNE Zalapa calls it karma. Russell Hogan dubs it sheer good luck.
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The Goulburn paint shop owner has generously donated his time and energy to numerous community causes in the past few years. Last month it came back to him in spades with a $25,000 cash first prize in a cancer fundraising raffle.
“I had actually forgotten that I bought the ticket,” Mr Hogan said.
“When they rang to tell I won, I didn’t believe them.”
Mr Hogan took a book full of tickets in the Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation raffle months ago when a lady visited his Clinton St business.
He was initially sceptical, having been “scammed” before but was eventually assured the money would be used for the purpose promised.
The Foundation runs the raffle four times a year, CEO Leanne (Lulu) Zalapa explained.
She is on a quest to raise $10.7 million for a new cancer centre at the Sydney hospital. Stage one of the radiation/oncology unit opened last month.
“We have been very fortunate to have great supporters such as the Nelune Foundation and Mr Frank Lowy who have provided very generous gifts,” Ms Zalapa said.
The centre, when completed in 2016, will be named the Nelune Comprehensive Cancer Centre. Fundraisers are about $1m off their goal.
Money raised from the raffle goes directly into caring for cancer patients. The winner had the option of a holiday valued at $25,000 or cash. Mr Hogan opted for the latter.
“It’s karma and it couldn’t have gone to a better person,” Ms Zalapa said.
“When I heard Russell’s story and what he had gone through, I was just so impressed with him as a person.”
Mr Hogan had his own brush with the disease eight years ago when he was diagnosed with bowel cancer.
Entering a new relationship, he wanted to ensure he was healthy and visited his GP.
Tests revealed a lump that grew from 3cm to baseball size in just three weeks. Within seven weeks of diagnosis he was in a Bankstown hospital having it removed.
Now he’s all clear. But he hasn’t forgotten the experience.
“When I went through that, the saddest part was seeing kids (suffering cancer) in hospital,” he said.
It was while recovering that Mr Hogan initiated a ‘backyard blitz’ for someone else who’d been doing it tough. Goulburn man Peter Rowland had raised three children since the loss of his wife, Elizabeth to cancer.
Some 115 local businesses came on board, a fundraising auction organised and the family sent to the Gold Coast while the work got underway.
Channel Nine became involved and many others helped complete the project.
“I felt guilty,” Mr Hogan said.
“People had done so much for me in hospital that I felt I had to give something back.”
That’s not all. He’s also participated in Dancing with the Starz, raising money for the BDCU Goulburn Hospital Foundation, shaved his head for cancer research fundraising and sold his ponytail and helped young Cody Quade from the Crescent School purchase a specialised wheelchair.
Asked about his motivation, Mr Hogan said: “I always believe you should pay things forward.
If it comes back to you, you should be humble and thankful.
I just think you should treat people the way you would like to be treated.”
He and wife Anita plan to pay some bills and complete a few projects with the prize.
Half of the money raised from the raffles supports Dreams2live4, the Foundation’s program granting ‘wishes’ for patients with metastatic cancer.