Aboriginal woman and dedicated nurse Shanon Nealon has been making a meaningful difference to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients undergoing cancer treatment at PA Hospital.
“I look after mob that are coming from all over Queensland,” she said.
“Due to personal experiences with cancer and also being a First Nations woman I felt like I could really bring a lot to this role, not only understanding what the patient’s going through but also being able to communicate effectively with our mob, listen, understand, and yarn with them.
“It’s about closing the gap within our community, being able to communicate and be an advocate for our mob coming in for their cancer talks, their initial diagnosis and being able to explain it in a language they understand.”
Shanon’s kind-hearted and compassionate approach to everyone she meets is creating a real sense of trust, comfort, and cultural safety.
“Yarning with mob is probably the best part of my day,” she said. “It’s also incredibly rewarding knowing I’m making a difference in our community with mob going through cancer treatments.
“Leaving work for the day knowing that someone’s walked away from here well informed about their diagnosis and treatment is something I really get a kick out of.”
Since starting in the role last year, Shannon has helped and advocated for more than 81 patients and their families.
To preserve Shanon’s critical work, the Dry July Foundation and the PA Research Foundation are partnering for a fundraising campaign via the month-long event ‘Dry July’.
PA Research Foundation Chief Executive Officer Damian Topp said to assist in funding the First Nations Cancer Clinical Nurse Consultant, or to just participate in Dry July, all you will need to do is register.
“Visit the Dry July website and select the Princess Alexandra Hospital as your beneficiary, just search PA Research Foundation in the search bar,” he said.
“To participate in Dry July, you do not have to strictly give up alcohol – it could be coffee or energy drinks. Whichever vice works best for you.”
All donations made on Wednesday 9 July 2025 will be matched while funds last, meaning you can double your impact towards expanding the First Nations Clinical Nurse Consultant role at PAH and across Metro South Health.