Trish’s road twists anew

Trish has decided to leave her estate to Chris O’Brien Lifehouse.

“I have no children or other relatives,” she said. “And I want other people living with cancer to have the kind of experience that I’ve had at Lifehouse, which is special.

“I’ve been fortunate in having a very interesting life.”

Trish recalled how as a young American on holiday, she met her future husband, airline pilot Jack, and moved to London to be with him. When her husband was posted to Sydney, she refused to go unless she worked. “So I got a job. I wasn’t ready to stop work yet.”

She had a long and satisfying career as an academic teaching women’s studies, education and sociology at a university.

“Then I changed life direction after a couple of decades of teaching. I don’t like to call it retiring. It’s just a new direction,” she said.

After Jack died her days have been filled with bridge, going to the opera and orchestral performances, reading widely and meeting friends for lunch.

So, why did Trish decide to leave a bequest to Lifehouse?

“I have cancer,” she said. “But my experience at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse is as good as it possibly could be. My specialists see me as a whole person, not just a cancer patient. We talk about the concerts I’ve been to, not just about my treatment. I feel as though I’m listened to.”

But she warns that her bequest will be a long time coming. “I have no intention of dying any time soon!”