He bravely accepted his fate so that he could enjoy what time he had left. He passed away just 10 months later, leaving behind an amazing legacy of embracing love and giving back to the community.

Laurence was so full of life and love. He was a husband, exceptional father to his three kids, loyal friend and so much more. From his hospital bed, the family resolved to raise money for research and spread awareness about the devastating impact this diagnosis has on individuals and their families. In that moment, Laurie’s Love was born.

Over the last five years, Laurie’s family has continued his legacy, and Laurie’s Love has raised over $800,000 for brain cancer research at renowned medical research institutions across Australia, including WEHI.

WEHI’s Brain Cancer Research Laboratory is co-led by Dr Sarah Best, a fundamental biologist, Dr Saskia Freytag, a bioinformatician, and Dr Jim Whittle, a medical oncologist, who have laser focused their research at the challenges of brain cancer. Using their diverse, multidisciplinary insights, the team is working to tackle the challenges of adult glioma with the aim of finding new treatments for patients with brain cancer.

“The support from Laurie’s Love has been transformative, enabling our lab to think widely about the problems and develop tools and techniques we can share with other researchers to accelerate brain cancer research and generate
improved treatments for patients,” said Dr Sarah Best.

Of the research progress achieved so far, Julie Pavone, Laurie’s wife and president of Laurie’s Love, said, “to be able to honour my amazing husband by supporting this research, is the ultimate way to contribute to progress, continue his legacy, and give other families hope – something we did not have available to us.”

The passion and drive demonstrated by Julie, her family, and her wider community in the face of such devastation, is a testament to what can be achieved when people come together to push towards a common goal.

Julie conveyed this beautifully when discussing her reasons for supporting WEHI and the Brain Cancer Centre.

“Our beliefs are the same, our hopes are the same, our vision is the same. A world without brain cancer. “I believe that together we can make a difference.”

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Header image: Julie and Laurence Pavone with their three beloved children.