Broadford’s Biggest Morning Tea last Thursday drew a crowd of more than 50 attendees, raising a total of $942.55.
TerryWhite Chemmart and IGA Broadford donated several prizes for the raffle hamper draw organised by local John Patterson, with IGA also supplying food for the event.
Pastor Vikram Panchal warmly welcomed attendees to the event, thanking their contribution to the cause and praising their connection to the community.
Cancer survivor Vao Matautia attended the event with her daughter Lani, who hosted an educational trivia on tea. Attendees were shocked to find out the largest tea bag in the world weighed 250 kilograms, while the largest teacup held 4,550 litres. While tea proved to be the more popular drink of choice over coffee, it was still surprising to learn that 5 billion cups of tea are consumed daily worldwide.
Following the trivia, cancer survivors Lyn Gunter and Ms Matautia shared their survival stories.
Former Mayor of Murrindindi Council Lyn Gunter started by sharing her powerful story, which began some 30 years ago.
The second woman to work in the council at the time, Ms Gunter emphasised the reach and the stressful nature of the job, noting that she even took on the role of Head of State Emergency Control at one stage. This position saw her involved in training members on road accident rescue – one of the most common reasons for a call out.
Ms Gunter noted that the stress of the job resulted in her feeling depleted at times, but as a community-driven individual, she was inspired to keep going as long as she had good food and love – two things that she believes everyone needs in life.
In 1992, Ms Gunter ended up in hospital with a ruptured ovarian cyst. However, during her treatment, a follow-up scan revealed a more sinister concern.
“I was having a scan, and the guy doing the scan said he might as well scan the whole area. He didn’t have to, but he did, and I’m lucky he did,” she said.
“I could tell something was wrong, but they wouldn’t say … I got a bit nosey, so I pulled out the scan and the results said ‘carcinoma’.”
Ms Gunter accepted her diagnosis with a quiet confidence that all would be as planned.
“My outlook was, ‘if my time is up, it’s up. If not, then all will be well. There was no point panicking,” she said.
“I wasn’t angry [about the diagnosis]. But I wasn’t surprised either – stress is a big killer.”
Speaking to her faith, Ms Gunter acknowledged the support around her during that difficult time, and the support that continued to flow, even to this day.
“We are all here to help each other. To give assistance when required,” she said.
“We need to look after everyone.”
Now 31 years cancer free, Ms Gunter still regularly attends check ups to ensure her health.
Ms Matautia delivered her moving story next, with her story beginning four years ago in 2020.
“We came back from a trip to Malaysia, and I felt very sick. I was tired, lethargic – all the symptoms you have when you’re not well,” she said.
“We went to the hospital … but they still didn’t know what was wrong. Then they thought it was something else, so I went in for surgery.”
It was during surgery that doctors then made the harrowing discovery of a stage four tumour.
“They couldn’t do much. But I had radiation and chemo, and my husband would bring in these juices for me, these green juices, and I think they helped,” she said.
“We then found this book about this tea that saved the life of a cancer patient, so we tried it, because we wanted to try everything – not just the science, but the herbal teas too.
“You know, this sickness has killed many of my family – my brother, sister, cousins. It isn’t foreign to our family.”
Proving that anything is possible – even when the odds are stacked against you – Ms Matautia was declared cancer free in May, 2021.
Whether it was the science, the natural alternatives, God’s will, or all three that helped Ms Matautia win her battle with cancer, we may never know, but Ms Matautia noted it was important to give everything a go.
“My doctors recommended things like getting more sun, more vitamin D, so I did that too. There is always something that we can do to help ourselves,” she said.
“Our doctors are doing the best they can. We have good hospitals, and the work that the nurses do is amazing.
“Cancer can come anytime, it can come to anyone … [Events like these are] such a good cause. Doctors work very hard.”
Among the tasty sweets, organic pumpkin soup, and delicious sandwiches, attendees were also treated to the cancer-fighting tea, which included ingredients such as St Mary’s thistle, turmeric powder, astragalus, burdock root, liquorice root, chamomile, St John’s wort, and red clover.
Mr Panchal thanked both guest speakers for sharing their stories.
“Hearing their stories reminds me why it’s so important to hold these events. It makes such a big difference,” he said.
.