Community raises $20,000 for Tess Fest

THE SURF COAST community have dug deep into their pockets to support one of their own, raising $20,000 for Anglesea women Tess McMurtrie to enjoy a trip of a lifetime as she battles osteosarcoma.

Having endured an extremely difficult 18-month period after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma; a type of bone cancer, the community wanted to give Tess something to smile about, allowing her to stay determined and strong in her fight.

While Tess has had her leg amputated, relapsed twice in the space of four months, and has had half of her left lung resected, she has still managed to keep her spirits up with the help of friends and family, who have been beside her every step of the way.

Last Wednesday, with a $20,000 cheque in her arsenal, she took off to Germany to begin her amazing adventure with family and friends, touring Europe to explore the beautiful sites and her passion for fashion.

To get Tess over to Germany, the community banded together to provide raffle items as part of the ‘Tess Fest Raffle’, which included local Victorian travel and accommodation packages, restaurant vouchers, vineyard experiences and an array of fitness packs from True Protein in Torquay.

“We were truly amazed by the support of the community during the raffle and through buying tees and providing private donations towards getting Tess over to Europe,” Tess’ mother Sue McMurtrie said.

“It took me four hours to scrunch up the 3000 entries in the raffle draw, so to get that level of support to give her this trip is remarkable.

“Tess I’m sure will have an amazing time overseas and it’s because of all the kind people in our community who made this happen, so a massive thanks to all.”

Mentor Angela Allardyce also said the raffle was a fantastic result for someone who is such a special and strong character, who deserves an amazing trip after the difficulties she has endured over the last 18 months.

“I have the privilege of training/mentoring Tess and am so astounded by her mammoth strength and determination to keep fighting this nasty disease,” Allardyce said.

“After losing her leg and more recently half a lung, she’s not lying down and is ready to embark on her trip overseas where she will make memories of a lifetime and live life to the fullest with both family and friends.

“We truly thank the community so much for their efforts of getting her over on her trip, it means a lot to us and Tess.”

To add to the fundraising totals, members of the community also bought Tess Fest t-shirts to wear out walking, partying and to Run Melbourne, where Tess reached her goal of walking 5.5km to raise money and awareness for her diagnosis.

The team raised $6,700 for the Tess Fest cause, while an extra $14,000 was raised for the Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association.

A whopping $8000 was also donated to the Tess Fest cause by running group Time 2 Know Osteosarcoma, who ran running meets in Melbourne to generate funds for the Anglesea women.

With the support of her community, the 22-year-old will spend the next few months living out her dream overseas as she stays spirited in her fight against osteosarcoma.

To continue supporting the Tess Fest cause or osteosarcoma, you can buy a groovy t-shirt at tessfesttops.myshopify.com or donate directly to sarcoma.org.au.