Jodie Quickeís Family Story of Breast Cancer
Jodie grew up on the family farm in Cookernup and enjoyed a self-sustaining lifestyle with her parents and four other siblings. The family home had been built by Jodie’s father, and the family lived on a diet of home raised meat, fruit and vegetables.
Jodie’s mother, Helen, was only 51 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The next two years were a grinding cycle of treatments and hospitalization. Long corridors and hospital canteen meals became a daily routine for the Quicke family. Although hospital staff were kind and supportive, Jodie recalls the isolation her mother endured and the lack of understanding about her disease. Jodie noticed her mother, usually a very quiet unassuming person, began to form strong bonds with other cancer patients. The support network they were able to offer each other was invaluable during such difficult times.
After two years of treatment and a joyful period of remission, Helen’s cancer then spread to other parts of her body. Sadly Helen passed away on 6 December 1990, leaving the family to come to terms with their loss.
For Jodie, her mother’s illness and her own son’s chronic eczema led her to ask many questions about environmental influences on the health of the human body.
In the pursuit of answers and understanding and with a desire for a healthy sustainable lifestyle, Jodie embarked on a journey that led her into a life of organic food and complementary medicines.
Jodie met Deborah Oberon while they were both working in a café in Denmark. Deborah created amazing cakes for the café, which included an extensive array of deserts for the growing number of people affected by allergies and environmental sensitivities. When not at the café, Deborah was pursuing her own dream of creating a certified organic skin care range.
With much in common and a very similar outlook, Jodie and Deborah spoke at length about the possibilities of developing her business, and a working relationship began to grow.
The possibility of a distribution contract in Korea arose, so Deborah left the café to commit herself full time to the business and Jodie joined her. Certification for two thirds of the range was achieved in late 2004. Two years later, after extensive on-going research and development, the entire range was certified to international food grade standards, through NASAA (National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia), one of Australia’s peak organic certification organizations.
Organic skin care is rapidly growing in popularity around the world as consumers become increasingly educated about the toxicity of some ingredients found in skin care products. According to the UK based Environmental Working Group, more then one third of all personal care products contain one or more ingredients that are currently classified as potential carcinogens. Ingredients commonly found in skincare products are also used in products such as anti-freeze and brake fluid.
Says Deborah: "The skin is the body’s largest organ and chemical compounds contained in products applied to it are absorbed directly in to the blood stream and deposited into the major organs. The average person may expose themselves to up to 175 different chemicals in the course of a day through the application of personal care products!
It can be really difficult to decipher ingredients on labels, so using certified organic products is a great way to have peace of mind."
Working with Naturopath, Britt Barkman, Jodie met Ros Worthington, founder of The Breast Cancer Foundation of Western Australia Inc. The loss of her mother meant that Jodie was inspired to become affiliated with the foundation and make a valued contribution to the women, men and families affected by breast cancer.
The Elemental range is now used exclusively in the Foundations Healing Room, a service set up in 2005 and staffed by volunteers who offer free complementary therapies.
In 2006, the Healing Room has grown to include Reiki, Naturopathy, Massage, Meditation, Pranic Therapy and Lymphatic Drainage. All volunteers are trained and experienced in their therapies and have a specific awareness of health issues faced by women and men with breast cancer.
"It is a tremendous honor to be involved with The Breast Cancer Foundation through Elemental's sponsorship of The Healing Room. The Foundation is a wonderful service and a credit to all those involved. Given my own family’s loss, it is rewarding to be able to make a contribution and be involved in the lives of people doing so much to raise awareness about a disease that affects the lives of so many. Awareness reduces isolation, increases research and facilities, creates community and enriches all of our lives," says Jodie.
Jodie now lives back on the family farm in Cookernup with her son, partner and father, where she runs the marketing arm of Elemental Skincare.
For more information about the Foundation or the Elemental Certified Organic Skincare range: www.breastcancer.org.au or www.elemental.com.au