Bravery has many faces, as do generosity and fortitude – just three of the many wonderful attributes of Jenny Dowell, but these three came to the fore on Saturday at her last ‘official’ public appearance.
Jenny says she will soon shuffle off this mortal coil – she made a public announcement via Facebook on Sunday. ‘Many of you know by now, but just to make it public, here’s my update. I’m taking VAD on Tuesday, and the funeral led by Dot Orchard is planned for Tuesday 31, at 10am in the Quad and it will be livestreamed for absent, interstate and overseas friends.’
‘I’m calm and content and surrounded by family.’
But, in true Jenny Dowell style, she had one more stop before her chosen departure. It was important to Jenny to spend some time at an event very dear to her – the Lismore & Villages Relay for Life held at SCU – raising vital funds for the Cancer Council’s research, prevention and support services.
A busy last day out
From cutting the ribbon on the relay course, to attending the official afternoon tea for ‘Survivors and Carers’, Jenny was still supporting others – the survivors, the carers, those grieving a loss, and those, like Jenny herself, still living and possibly, dying, with cancer.
‘It’s an important event,’ she said. ‘I did the first one here. At that stage, I had a close friend my age who was diagnosed with cancer, so that was back in 2001. I walked for her. I wasn’t part of the committee, or anything like that. And then the next year, we were doing it yearly, and then every two years, and then COVID stepped in.
‘Every year I walked, there was a reason to walk. A friend I’d lost, and then, of course, when I was diagnosed, it was very personal.
‘I joined the committee. Ron had been on the committee long before me. I joined the committee when I was mayor, and so I was heavily involved. I did this role, coordinating the afternoon team for survivors and carers.’
Living with cancer
Jenny says it was another woman with breast cancer who left a mark on her. ‘I met a woman called Anna, and she had metastatic cancer like me now, and she didn’t feel she would wear a ‘survivor’ sash, because she knew she was dying. She didn’t feel that she was welcome at relay. So I worked with her so we could come up with some words for a sash that she would be comfortable with. We came up with the words “living with cancer”.’
Jenny says that COVID stepped in, and they didn’t go ahead with that relay in 2020. ‘But now we have these [shows me her sash] printed locally. It’s a unique thing for Lismore, and I know that there are three people who are wearing them in the relay today, at least three.
‘And me too. I didn’t realize I’d be wearing one either. So it’s a great sense of pride and belonging for me. It is my last major public event that I wanted to make, if you like, before I planned it. And it’s wonderful to achieve it. I’m glad I made it here.’
‘I have had enough’
‘It hasn’t been easy. I’ve felt easily in the last week or so that I have had enough. I need to go, but this has been something I paced myself to achieve, and I feel a great deal of gratitude that I’ve been able to be here.’
Jenny says the relay is a great community event. ‘People are coming to support, usually someone in their team or the general cause of cancer. I just feel that, you know, after all Lismore has gone through with the flood and other things, you wonder whether there’s a tiredness about disasters and whether people would come out, but they clearly have.
‘Our goal was $60,000 and we’re up to about $54,000 already, and that’s without the fundraising that people are doing today, and the raffle ticket money coming in, and all of it. So we’ll easily make our target. That’s fantastic. And people are having fun as well, while remembering those they’ve lost and those undergoing treatment now, it feels really good.’
Jenny now feels it’s time for her to go. She has gathered her family and made plans for Voluntary Assisted Dying this week. ‘I die on Tuesday, so the next few days are just for family.’
Goodbye Jenny.
Jenny’s husband Ron posted this online at around noon today.
‘Jenny, my beautiful and beloved wife of 46 years, died peacefully this morning. She was serene as our children Georgie and Tim, as well as her sister Robyn were present and she died knowing that she is much loved by her community.’
• At the last count. Saturday’s event raised well and truly over the $60,000 target.
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