The gift of giving

Opera singer. Computer chip engineer. Winemaker. Farmer. Counsellor. Building a home on national TV.

It’s fair to say that Nick and Cate Foskett aren’t ones to shy away from tackling a challenge. After meeting SAHMRI’s Professor Maria Makrides, it was clear the challenge of preterm births was to be next on their list.

“When we first met Maria, her passion became our passion,” says Nick. At the time, Professor Makrides (now SAHMRI’s Executive Director) was running a major trial into the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on preterm births.

As a result of that trial, national guidelines for the care of pregnant women now recommend omega-3 testing and supplementation.

“Something that we helped fund got rolled out nationally. It’s helping lots of people,” says Nick.

“We love that SAHMRI research becomes policy quite fast. And we’re seeing real-world impacts from the research,” adds Cate. “We decided that we loved what is happening here, and we wanted a long-term relationship with SAHMRI.”

The Fosketts are now supporting Professor Alice Rumbold’s GIFT Trial, which examines the health and economic impacts of supplementing maternal breast milk with donor milk for preterm infants.

Currently, many receive formula, which often comes with feeding difficulties and longer hospital stays. New mother of twins Jessica and her husband Michael jumped at the chance to be part of this clinical trial.

“It actually took a bit of the stress away from me as a first-time mum, knowing that as part of the GIFT trial, the boys would have the option to potentially have donor milk,” said Jessica. “We were really happy to be part of this research that could benefit so many babies in the future.”

Knowing the study they support can provide benefits for the whole family adds another layer of satisfaction for the Fosketts. They recently visited Professor Rumbold’s group to see how their support was helping drive those benefits.

“We really appreciate working with Alice. In our last meeting, we got to see where they do the work, the equipment, and met the statisticians our funding supports. It made it very real to us,” says Cate. “Data is nothing unless you can work with it. It was nice knowing we could help make that possible.”

Their SAHMRI relationship has proven to be a huge personal reward for the Fosketts, who are heartened to see how their support has helped shape life-changing research.

And for Nick, it’s the potential for long-term benefits that excites him most. “I’m driven by the possibility to help give a large number of people a much longer life; a much better life... and if you can help health outcomes by supporting fundamental research, then it really is a gift that greatly benefits society.”

If you'd like to know more about giving to SAHMRI please contact hazel.jourdin@sahmri.com.