Every donation makes a world of difference

16 Jun 2025

Every hour is precious for 72-year-old Merryl Berry.

The Twin Waters local was diagnosed with mesothelioma two-and-a-half years ago after a visit to the doctors for a sore shoulder turned into a nightmare of hospital visits, tests and heartache.

She was originally given between six months and two years to live, but she told her doctor that was not enough time.

“It's a strange feeling,” Merryl said, “because I don't feel like I'm going to die. We'll make plans for Christmas, and I try not to think that I mightn't be here. I'm trying not to have that as part of my scenario.”

We met Merryl at the Wishlist Centre in Birtinya so after the interview she could walk over to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital to get her results following a sixth round of chemotherapy.

“Chemo - it's what I hate,” Merryl said. “The chemo really knocks you about. That's why my eyes water, I get mouth ulcers, I get really sick, really miserable, and then you slowly crawl out of it.”

For our discussion she’s accompanied by 80-year-old-husband Ed. He doesn’t just give her love and support; he provides added incentive to squeeze every minute out of every day.

“We will be married 50 years, not this Christmas, but next Christmas,” she said.

“I am lucky I've got a rock. I'm not really frightened if I do happen to drop off the perch? I'm not particularly frightened about that, but I would be worried leaving him after 50 years.”

Merryl is also concerned about making the most of the time she has left.

She tells the story of seeing a billboard outside a church which simply said, “Is this world better with you or without you.”

After much soul-searching she answered that question with a significant donation to Wishlist so the Rare Cancer Care and Research Fund can find ways to improve treatment and prolong life for mesothelioma patients.

Merryl’s oncologist Associate Professor Dr Bryan Chan said the donation will help research to unlock the secrets of mesothelioma.

“To identify if there are triggering things in the microbiome that lead to mesothelioma, or see if there are things we can manipulate to help improve treatment and outcomes,” Dr Chan said.

“We're looking at trying to stop people from dying within six to 12 months, which was the traditional prognosis.”

Mesothelioma, sometimes referred to as meso, is a cancer most often caused by asbestos, which affects the smooth lining of the chest, lungs, heart, and abdomen. The layer of tissue surrounding these organs is made up of mesothelial cells, hence the name mesothelioma.

Australia had one of the highest per capita uses of asbestos in the world until it was banned in 2003, but 700 to 800 new cases of mesothelioma are still diagnosed annually in this country.

Many cases are linked to occupational exposure, which made Merryl’s diagnosis confusing, because she’d been a teacher all her life, most of her career spent at Buderim Primary School.

“The thing about mesothelioma is,” she said, “everybody you talk to will say, oh, gee, I used to play with asbestos as a kid. I never, ever did any of those things. We're not builders, we're not knocking down walls. I was a teacher, and I spent a lot of time in demountables. That was the only thing that they could come up with. That’s where the asbestos was.”

Initially, Merryl was reluctant to talk about her story – she didn’t want to make a fuss about her large donation, and certainly didn’t want to draw attention to herself.

But Jan Long who she job-shared with at Buderim Primary School happened to be a longtime supporter of Wishlist and encouraged her friend to speak up and encourage others to donate.

Merryl had this advice for others: “If you can do something to make the world better, then you should try and do it.”

With those words, Merryl stood and with her husband by her side, walked over to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital to get her results.

The news was as good as she could hope for – her cancer had not progressed, which means she gets a three-month rest from chemo and all that goes with it.

While she enjoys the time with family and friends, Associate Professor Chan and his colleagues will be busy working on advancing treatment options to improve quality of life and survival for mesothelioma, giving hope to the thousands of Australians who are expected to be diagnosed with the cancer in the coming years.

And while all that work is happening, Merryl will be inching closer to that 50th wedding anniversary.

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