Making Dreams Come True
2024 Dreams2Live4 Impact Report
Dreams2Live4 has been making dreams come true for people living with advanced cancer since it was formed as an in-house program at Prince of Wales Hospital in 2009. We became a national charity in 2015, and since then have received over 4,400 applications for life changing dreams from people living with advanced cancer nationwide. In 2024, we made more dreams come true than ever before and continue to be the only charity nationwide delivering this service.
To dream makes a positive impact on the emotional health of a patient who is often living through physical illness, pain, financial pressure, and prevailing anxiety around treatments and outcomes. This impact radiates out to an estimated 30 friends, family members and medical teams per patient. Meaning that over the past 10 years we have touched the lives of more than 100,000 people. With mental wellness a critical driver of quality of life, especially during illness, being able to realise a life affirming dream has a hugely positive result on patients living with advanced cancer.
Chairman's introduction:
2024 has seen another successful year for Dreams2Live4 seeing a growth in applications, reach and awareness, as well as, thankfully, donations and grant funding.
Despite the challenging economic environment the team, together with my fellow Board members, have continued to attract attendees and donors to our fundraising events in Sydney and Melbourne. We are thankful for the continued support from Peter Overton of Nine News, and Kath Loughnan of Fox Sports in hosting these events. Our speaker line up in 2024 was stellar, with no less than the Australian's of the Year, Co-Medical Directors of the Melanoma Institute - Prof. Georgina Long AO and Prof. Richard Scolyer AO; Pyjama King - Peter Alexander; TV Presenter, Catriona Rowntree; ServiceQ's, Jaquie Scammell; Prince of Wales Hospital's, Sarah Hayes; and finally to our Dreamer Coko and her beautiful quartet of girls, for sharing so eloquently her personal story with our Sydney audience.
We remain committed to making dreams come true for all eligible adults living with advanced cancer. In order to do so, we continue to need the support of our individual, and corporate supporters, who over 2024 donated funds; and sometimes gifted us accommodation, products, experiences, contacts, connections, and more to pass onto our Dreamers. A full list of our very valued corporate partners can be found here. Whilst many of our individual supporters prefer to remain anonymous, our sincerest thanks go to one and all. And finally our thanks to our village of community fundraisers for running, swimming, baking and even chopping off their hair, in support of Dreams2Live4.
We invite all our supporters, and more, to join us in making dreams come true in 2025 and beyond.
Pat O'Sullivan, Chairman, Dreams2Live4
The impact of a Dream
97% of our Dreamers report that their dream had a positive impact on their emotional health
An Australian National University study published in 2023 found that cancer patients experience mental health disorders at double the rate of the general population, with 40% facing anxiety or depression.
The authors noted that “Poor mental health has a devastating effect on cancer survivors’ lives, leading to longer hospital stays, elevated mortality rates, and considerable difficulty in returning to the workforce.”
At Dreams2Live4 we understand the value of a dream - our founder Annie Robinson said:
“If we can encourage people to think of what their dreams may be, and help them achieve these dreams, they just may improve the outlook of their disease.”
In 2024, 97% of our respondents to our Post-dream Survey indicated that their dream had a positive impact on their emotional health. This is a key performance indicator at Dreams2Live4 and we are delighted to report that this, and our other key measures, kept tracking highly in 2024.
Dreamer Connie, and Theresa, who spent precious mother daughter time in Glenelg, SA.
Dreamer Connie, and Theresa, who spent precious mother daughter time in Glenelg, SA.
This is echoed in the thoughts from medical specialists who have referred Dreamers.
"I have seen how the experience of simply thinking through dream options by my patients distracts them from their symptoms and dark thoughts. And both enriches and enlightens their lives, and those of their families. It makes such a difference!"
Dreamer Emma, 33, and new husband Will, who were able to create lasting memories on their dream honeymoon.
Dreamer Emma, 33, and new husband Will, who were able to create lasting memories on their dream honeymoon.
Dream reach
2024 saw applications for a dream from all over Australia
In 2024, we received more dream applications than ever before, with a 23% increase compared to 2023. This rise came from all over Australia, with the largest increases from Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia.
We also saw a significant increase in the number of hospitals, cancer care centres, and palliative units who refer patients for a dream rising from 274 in 2023 to 307 in 2024. This is heartening considering we started as an in-house program at one hospital!
And as in previous years, our Dream Makers conducted in-services to inform and educate oncology staff about the dream process in Queensland at Gold Coast University Hospital; in Victoria at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Bendigo Health; and within NSW Hospitals including Nepean, Prince of Wales, The San, Newcastle Calvary Mater, Lismore Base Hospital, and Hornsby Hospital. These in-services are vital in driving applications and they will continue to be an important tool in expanding our reach in 2025.
Dream Makers Annabel and Louise attending an in-service at a hospital.
Dream Makers Annabel and Louise attending an in-service at a hospital.
“We have seen the magic of the dream, and the difference it can make for patients and families. We love it when our patients come in and share their planning and photos from their dreams.
It inspires us to continue to improve patients quality of life, to have these experiences.”
Dream Maker Louise with Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District oncology social workers, care coordinators and nurses who attended the Dreams2Live4 in-service.
Dream Maker Louise with Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District oncology social workers, care coordinators and nurses who attended the Dreams2Live4 in-service.
Dreamers
1 in 2 Australians are predicted to be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 85
Cancer does not discriminate and neither does Dreams2Live4 - we welcome dream applications from any eligible patient living with advanced cancer anywhere in Australia. In 2024, we got to know our Dreamers even better and learned that they ranged in age from 18 to 91 years old. The average age of a Dreamer in 2024 was 52. Two-thirds of our dreamers are under 60 years-old, 10% are 30 years-old or younger.
We also learnt that:
- 67% of our Dreamers are parents
- 24% of these are Grandparents
- 7% of our 2024 applicants identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (vs 3.2% of the general population)
- 18% were born outside of Australia
- 9% are from a Culturally and Linguistically Different (CALD) background
Victorian Dreamer Jayden, 19, living with advanced cancer and having lost his father to cancer less than a year ago, dreamt of seeing his heroes at Movie World; and NSW Dreamer Ann, 79 who appreciated spending time thinking about the dream rather than cancer and had a "buzz that lasted all day" after her dream helicopter ride.
Victorian Dreamer Jayden, 19, living with advanced cancer and having lost his father to cancer less than a year ago, dreamt of seeing his heroes at Movie World; and NSW Dreamer Ann, 79 who appreciated spending time thinking about the dream rather than cancer and had a "buzz that lasted all day" after her dream helicopter ride.
While our service is open to any eligible patient living with advanced cancer, we know that many of our Dreamers face additional challenges, including socio-economic disadvantage; being single parents; or struggling financially. According to the Cancer Council "an estimated half of working-age adults with cancer in Australia are no longer in the workforce."
“Dreams2Live4 gave our traumatised
little family something joyful and adventurous to live for. You swooped in and picked us up when we were broken and helped us begin to heal our deep wounds. I am still high as a kite.”
Dreaming helps to lift cancer patients beyond daily anxiety and financial worries, allowing them to create lasting memories and support optimal treatment outcomes along the way.
Dreams
2024 saw a huge variety of dreams come true
In 2024, we saw an incredible variety of dream requests—some humble and heartbreaking, others ambitious and adventurous; some practical and pragmatic, while others were downright dreamy. As always, our Dream Makers are here to support whatever the dream may be. Here’s a glimpse of some of the dreams that came true in 2024:
Dream Maker Julie connected with Dr. Karen Coombes, a world-leading expert on tree kangaroos, to help make 91-year-old Lester’s dream come true. Lester (pic.), who had written a children’s book featuring a tree kangaroo as the main character, hoped for a photograph with one of these exotic and elusive creatures. See more of his story here.
"It was a dream come true and a truly moving experience...I am still agog at the whole experience"
But that's not the only animal that our Dreamers have asked to meet - cassowaries, giraffes and meerkats have been firm favourites, amongst many others. We've had Dreamers visit Australia Zoo, Adelaide, Melbourne, Taronga, Jamala, Canberra and many more.
Of course, not all our Dreamers want to just meet an animal, some dream of their very own furry companion - like 18-year-old Cody (pic.) who has been living with brain cancer since he was 14 and describes his cancer journey as making him nervous and anxious, who dreamt of a golden retriever puppy and is now the proud owner of Oatley. Or 31-year-old Matthew (pic.), who dreamt of a groodle puppy - welcoming Teddy as the newest member of their home and saying he has put a smile on the faces of his family and himself "something that hasn't happened for a long time".
"My dream is a companion dog to try and lift my spirits and keep me company on walks."
Holidays have always been a popular dream request, a chance to rest, recuperate, and get away from the daily challenges of cancer. But for many, travel is about more than just a getaway - it's about reconnecting with loved ones.
This year, we helped reunite more friends and family than ever before. Queensland-based Gregory's dream was to see his best friend Mark after 23 years apart. Melbourne-based 85-year-old Dreamer Doug (pic.), reunited with his older brother on the Gold Coast after 30 years apart, Filomena (pic.) and her 12-year-old daughter visited family in Brisbane. And Perth-based Raymond (pic.) celebrated his 81st birthday with his daughter after almost a decade apart.
Dreams come in all shapes and sizes. In 2024, we received requests to see - and sometimes meet - sporting teams, musicians, chefs, celebrities and more.
Like 2024 Joint Australian of the Year, Co-Medical Director of the Melanoma Institute Prof. Richard Scolyer AO (pic.) who is living with advanced brain cancer and expressed his dream to live for, at our very own corporate 'Lunch With' event in Sydney. Richard's dream was to attend the AFL Grand Final with his son Matthew and watch their beloved Sydney Swans in action.
Our thanks to the AFL's Sydney Swans Foundation for helping to make that dream, and others including Mary, 55 (pic.), dreams come true.
"I'm incredibly thankful to Dreams2Live4 for tickets to the AFL Grand Final to watch the Sydney Swans along with my son Mathew. We will be barracking very loudly!"
Also our sincerest thanks to AFL's Essendon Football, West Coast Eagles for sending NT Dreamer Ringo a signed guernsey (pic.), Adelaide Crows Club, and the SANFL; the NRL's - Paramatta Eels, Manly Sea Eagles for making Alf's (pic.) dream come true and facilitating a meeting with former player Steve Menzies, and the New Zealand Warriors; Football Australia's - the Matildas; Australian Moto GP; George Calombaris, Daniel Gorringe who met Dreamer Dugald (front cover pic.), The Disturbed (pic.), Sheppard and many more that due to confidentiality we can't mention, for their help in making other Dreams come true. As well as to TEG, Anthem, the Mounties Group, Channel Nine and many other corporate supporters who helped us connect our Dreamers to their dreams.
In 2024, 5% of our dream requests were for weddings, vow renewals, or honeymoons. Whilst we normally suggest that at least 30 friends, family, and medical teams are impacted by a dream - we know that weddings in particular often impact far more than that number. Like Brett (pic.) our 40 year-old Brisbane-based Dreamer who married Kritishna in front of their blended family - children 16, 12, 4 and 2 - as well as friends, family, and many others, including members of the local cricket club where Brett had played. Or Aleisha 29, who had the day of her dreams marrying Marcus; or Lindsay (pic.) 48, who married her long-time partner Greg.
“ I want to show my children that the happily ever after they see in stories is real, and that our love is one they should aspire to have with someone. This would be the ultimate dream for me to make it happen somehow before it’s too late.”
A dream can be for comfort, like air-conditioning for our 23-year-old architecture student Ali (pic.), or a recliner chair for 73-year-old Michael. Or dreams can be practical, such as medical transport from the Central Coast to the Sydney wedding of his only son for 62-year-old Michael, or an electric bike for 39-year-old Queenslander Cherie so she could have adventures with her
12 year-old son.
"My actual dream is to complete my Bachelor’s and start my career in interior architecture, but a smaller dream would be getting air-conditioning into my apartment, it gets very muggy and makes me pretty nauseous when it’s hot inside.”
But more often than not, Dreamers are looking for ways to create lasting memories for themselves and their loved ones. In 2024, 3% of our Dreamers choose family photographs as their dream. One such Dreamer was 69-year-old Nerida (pic.) who was being cared for in Mona Vale Palliative Care. Her dream was to bring her family together to capture precious photographs.
Dream Supporters
It takes a village. We are grateful for the support of many individuals, corporations, grants & foundations and to our community fundraisers.
2024 marked another successful year of fundraising for Dreams2Live4, with generous individual and corporate donations — many connected through our fundraising events — serving as a primary source of income.
Events
Dreams2Live4 hosted fabulous events in 2024 in Sydney, including the TGIF Ladies Lunch and the corporate 'Lunch With' the Australians of the Year, Co-Medical Directors of the Melanoma Institute, Professors Georgina Long AO and Richard Scolyer AO. We also held our 'Lunch With' the very entertaining Pyjama King, Peter Alexander, in Melbourne.
Record breaking attendees tickets, generous donations, raffle ticket sales, and bids on donated auction items all contributed vital funds to sustain the work of Dreams2Live4, especially as Government-led changes to the ClubGrants program have made accessing these funds more difficult. However, we are deeply grateful for the support of the Mounties Group, who, through the ClubGrants program, have supported Dreams in the Fairfield, Liverpool, and Central Coast areas in 2024; as did the Canberra Southern Cross Club in their area.
Grants and Foundations
In addition to ClubGrants, Dreams2Live4 successfully applied to the Adobe Employee Community Fund to provide vital funds for dreams in NSW - Newcastle and Central Coast areas; as well as in the Victorian - Loddon Mallee area. We also received a nationwide grant from CommBank Staff Foundation Community Fund; and are grateful for the support of The San Foundation for Dreamers from the Sydney Adventist Hospital; and the St Vincent's Private Hospital Foundation for Dreamers within their community.
Looking forward into 2025, we are thankful to be working with the James Frizelle Foundation for dreams in the Northern NSW and Gold Coast area; and with the MDRT Global Grants Foundation for dreams nationwide.
Community Fundraising
2024's Dry July campaign saw a 20% increase in participants, helping us to raise over $50,000, whilst giving themselves a health boost along the way.
Also in 2024, we launched our online fundraising platform, ensuring our growing army of community heroes a seamless process for raising much-needed funds. Like Harvey, the nephew of our Dreamer Rory. Rory lost his battle with melanoma in February 2024, but not before he had his dream to see the Great Barrier Reef with sister Tamsyn and her family, including Harvey, was realised. Rory said at that time “it’s quite difficult to put into words how much it would mean to me to be able to see and experience this with my family.”
“Rory was the boy’s favourite person in the world, and we really appreciated Dreams2Live4 helping us all make some fantastic memories."
Harvey (pic.) recently launched a fundraiser for Dreams2Live4 by cutting off his hair, with an initial goal of raising $300. He surpassed expectations, raising a fantastic $1,815! We are so grateful to Harvey and family; and to all our community fundraisers for helping us make dreams come true for more people living with advanced cancer.
Corporate Support
In addition to attending, donating and supporting our events many of our valued corporate supporters have helped us with in-kind, pro-bono, and access to 'money can't buy' experiences. Like in the case of Tania (pic.) who dreamt of meeting the American rock band The Disturbed. During treatment for her advanced ovarian cancer, their music "really got her through". The Disturbed were appearing at the heavy metal festival Knotfest and through the valued support of TEG, Tania not only got to meet her heroes, but was also brought on stage, backstage, and to the afterparty. You can see more of her story here.
From rock bands to sporting heroes, from televisions to gaming equipment, from chauffeur services to professional make-overs, corporate support for our Dreamers' dreams has been plentiful and generous.
Corporate support also was plentiful in 2024 with donations to our auctions and raffles, as well as volunteer time at our events from Chubb, Deutsche Bank, Lagardere AWPL, TEG, Temp & Agnew, and more. And we are super grateful to our supporters helping us to outreach our message in 2024 with pro-bono photography services from Julia Nance and Wes Nel; and point of sale activations across Lagardere AWPL Melbourne Airport retail (pic.).
And finally, underpinning our operations, we are appreciative of the pro-bono legal support of Minter Ellison and our CRM system from Salesforce.
Our sincerest thanks go to these organisations; and many more not listed here. For a more comprehensive list see here:
- Adobe
- Anthem
- Anywhere Travel
- Car Group
- Coco Republic
- Crown Resorts
- Hughes Transport
- Lagardere AWPL
- Lindt
- Luxury Escapes
- Mecca
- Mounties Group
- Nine Network
- Retravision
- River Run 100
- Sharp Airlines
- TEG
- Urban Rest
- Virgin Australia
CEO's message:
2024 was a plentiful year for Dreams2Live4 - seeing a 23% increase in dream applications. We are delighted that our mission is being heard and understood across Australia and that we have had Dreamers from Alice Springs and from Adelaide; from Townsville and from Tasmania; from Sydney and from Perth; and many more in-between.
We don't turn any eligible Dreamer away, working with all eligible applicants to realise their dreams. With those dream requests comes a responsibility to fund them. So we are so grateful for the support of the donors, corporate supporters, event attendees, community fundraisers, Christmas campaign participants, grants and foundations that have helped us in 2024.
Looking ahead we know we will have a busy 2025, as our applications keep growing, as do the list of hospitals and cancer care settings that refer those patients. We are excited to launch our 2025 fundraising events season with our TGIF Ladies Lunch; Lunch With events in Sydney and Melbourne; and our 10th anniversary of becoming a nationwide charity celebration gala on the 6 September.
We hope you will join us and continue to support Dreams2Live4 as we make more dreams come true for people who are living with advanced cancer, along with their friends, family and supporters.
Wishing you a happy and healthy 2025.
Louise Mahoney OAM,
CEO & Chief Dream Maker, Dreams2Live4
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