Helping the fight to end brain cancer, one pair of earrings at a time

Posted on 14 March, 2024

She may be only nine years old, but Zara Skepev is proof you’re never too young to make a difference.

Over the summer holidays, while most had clocked off for the year, Zara and her friend Indie Gocevski spent their days meticulously baking, shaping and handcrafting over 400 pairs of earrings with one goal: to raise money towards supporting working mothers in brain cancer research at the Australian National University (ANU).

This Sunday 17 March, Zara and Indie will set up a stall to sell their colourful creations outside Joanne Flowers of Manuka, under Zara’s label Z and M Co.

Last year on the label’s launch, Zara and another friend Mila Costa raised an impressive $14,000. This year, she hopes to top that.

“These pieces are not just jewellery; they are symbols of hope, resilience, and the joint effort to combat brain cancer and support women,” Zara says.

Zara and Indie.

Zara’s mother Milena says the idea all started when Zara told her she wanted to be a researcher when she grew up.

“She was wondering about the sacrifices mothers often have to make in their professional lives to care for their children,’ Milena says.

“During a tour of the ANU research facilities, Professor Leonie Quinn told us that over 90 per cent of the doctors and scientists in her research lab were in fact women and mothers.

“It can often be difficult for mothers to return to work with the huge cost of childcare, but our researchers are so essential, so we decided to put the money Zara raised towards funding childcare and everything needed for researchers to transition back to work.”

ANU’s Professor Leonie Quinn with Zara at last year’s stall.

The ANU created a fund dedicated to Zara’s fundraising efforts, named The Zara Skepev Fund for Women in Brain Cancer Research. One of the researchers has already been able to return to work earlier than planned, thanks to the money Zara raised.

Last year, Zara received an OAM for her efforts.

She says she is “100 per cent” committed to running a fundraiser every year, inviting a different friend to be her business partner on the adventure each time.

“I want to teach them everything Mum taught me this year about putting on a fundraiser and hopefully in a few years’ time, I will be able to do it without my mum’s help.”

Indie and Zara with the earrings they’ll have for sale this weekend.

There’s no doubt Zara is following in her mother’s footsteps: last year Milena launched The Australian Brain Cancer Foundation, which aims to put the ACT on the map as a leading centre for primary brain cancer research and care.

After touring the ANU research facilities with Professor Quinn, Milena realised there was a struggle in the ACT to retain the brightest minds in the field, raise adequate funds for research and ensure that the money raised stayed directly in Canberra. And there, the idea for the foundation was born.

Milena Skepev, Professor Leonie Quinn and Zara.

Working closely with Professor Quinn and her team of researchers, the Australian Brain Cancer Foundation will work to highlight Canberra’s world-class institutions such as The ANU, UC, the Canberra Hospital and research facilities, and will look to finance, train, and retain the brightest minds in the brain cancer field for further advancements.

“The foundation will achieve this by providing community awareness, supporting philanthropic ventures, and directly funding the scientific research urgently required to combat this debilitating illness,” says Milena.

The Foundation will also look to support clinicians caring for primary brain cancer patients, provide community access to vital information on primary brain cancer care and link community and consumer groups with clinicians and researchers.

“Together, with the support of our community, we will strive to find a cure and bring hope to local families affected by this devastating disease,” Milena says.

Photography supplied.