When Brooke Sheed’s mother, Nicola Parker, was diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer, the family rarely left her side.
When they left the hospital, her partner, West Coast Eagles player Dom, would set out a bottle of red wine and put dinner on the table for them.
And when the couple got engaged in October 2021, Brooke knew she wanted her mother by her side at the wedding.
Event planner Courtney Hoskins hosted the beautiful wedding in southwest Vasse Felix in just eight weeks.
“It (cancer) put a new spin on things. Luckily we hadn’t been aware and were busy... but when something like that happens, you go back to your roots and say, ‘What’s the most important?’ That’s being together as a family,” Brooke told AAA.
Camera icon Brooke Sheed, Nicola Parker, and Dom Sheed. Credit: Daniel Wilkins/The West Australian
“We thought, why wait? Let’s get things done and enjoy it while we can. It was really special, and I think she (Nicola) had the best time.”
After multiple scans and surgeries after going to the doctor in July 2021 with a severe headache, Parker was diagnosed with stage 3-4 brain cancer that had been there for eight weeks. She was told she would be under treatment for the rest of her life.
“The doctors were pretty blunt when she was first diagnosed to say this will never go away, so you’re always going to need treatment. It’s not something that’s going to be removed and nipped in the bud,” Brooke said.
“She’s been pretty resilient, but that’s just a mom. They push themselves bravely, especially in front of their families.”
To further support her mother and others in a similar situation, Brooke and her “dream team” have organized a Gray Matter Soiree charity event to raise money for cancer research.
Hoskins, Emmi Masten, partner of former West Coast Eagles player Chris, and Nadia Rosa, partner of Tom Barrass, are the masterminds behind the cocktail-style event to be held at Dandelion in Karrinyup on June 8, the money of which will go to the Charlie Teo goes. Foundation.
She said there has also been a huge collective effort with Eagles players raising money and local artists donating artwork on the night to be auctioned off.
“For Mom, she said we didn’t really know anyone else who had brain cancer, so it’s a good thing to make people aware of the circumstance and the statistics,” Brooke said.