Created with love, by someone who cares

Brain Tumour Support NZ launches Brainy Beanies campaign

The Covid-19 pandemic has played havoc with fundraising events, not just in Aotearoa New Zealand but around the world. Charities which normally rely on community events to provide the bulk of their revenue have been forced to innovate and move a lot of their activities online or into more Covid-friendly environments.

This was the scenario faced by Brain Tumour Support NZ when searching for an awareness and fundraising campaign for the 2022 Brain Tumour Awareness Month. We wanted a campaign where people could participate in a safe way, yet retain the sense of kinship and belonging of a community event. Brainy Beanies seemed to tick all the boxes.

From the traditions of Māori weaving to the knitting skills passed down through generations of pioneering families, New Zealand has developed into a nation of knitters and handcrafters. There are not many Kiwi families who don’t have a knitter, crocheter or crafter in their ranks. Previously seen as a pastime for seniors, a recent resurgence has seen many younger people take up knitting and crocheting as a hobby. The advent of social media platforms such as Instagram has fuelled a trend to make knitting cool again.

So in December 2021 we put the call out to Kiwi handcrafters to design and make their own original beanies and send them to us by the end of April 2022. Each beanie will have a Brainy Beanie tag sewn onto it and be exhibited at The Meteor Theatre in Hamilton from 3 to 8 May 2022 (May is Brain Tumour Awareness Month in New Zealand and many other parts of the world).

A gala launch party is planned for 3 May 2022 where the exhibition will be opened and all Brainy Beanie creators are invited to attend. The Brainy Beanies will be auctioned or sold, with sale proceeds going to Brain Tumour Support NZ. A selection of children’s Beanies will also be chosen for inclusion in the Little Brain Boxes – a care and information package which will be provided free to New Zealand children diagnosed with a brain tumour.

For brain tumour patients, beanies have many practical uses, from covering a craniotomy scar to providing warmth following radiation-induced hair loss. They are also associated with brain cancer in other parts of the world. In Australia, Carrie’s Beanies 4 Brain Cancer and the Mark Hughes Foundation have both raised tens of millions of dollars for brain cancer research and support services by selling their range of beanies. Money generated by beanie sales has been used to fund clinical trials, neuro-oncology nurse co-ordinators in NSW, and a brain cancer centre in Melbourne.

Brainy Beanies adopts a slightly different approach by asking Kiwis to create and donate their own handcrafted Beanies. Every Beanie will be handmade, created with love, by someone who cares, for someone who will be very grateful. The fact that no Brainy Beanie will be the same reflects the uniqueness of our brain tumour patient population.

Brain tumours are considered rare (they meet the definition of a rare disease, which is less than 1 in 2000 people, as defined by Rare Diseases Europe. The New Zealand government has not adopted its own definition of a rare disease, which tells a story in itself. Brain cancer represents just 1.3% of all cancers diagnosed in New Zealand annually, making it the 16th most common cancer.

However the response to the Brainy Beanies campaign to date suggests that brain tumours may be less rare than we are led to believe. Perhaps it is the small degrees of separation in New Zealand but it seems as though many more Kiwis have been impacted by brain tumours than we ever imagined. Almost two hundred Brainy Beanies have been created so far, a number which has far exceeded our expectations.

Many of the stories being sent in with the Beanies have touched the hearts of Brain Tumour Support NZ staff and volunteers. From people who have lost loved ones to patients currently undergoing treatment, Kiwis have really got behind the spirit of Brainy Beanies. Word has also spread through knitting and crocheting clubs around the country. This has spurred people without a connection to brain tumours, including some professional artists and designers, to send in their creations.

With seven weeks to go before the Brainy Beanie exhibition opens there is still plenty of time for people to make their Beanies and send them in to us. Every Beanie made is sending a message of support to a brain tumour patient in need and raising awareness of a cancer which is often overlooked.?