The Cause
Who is The Common Good?
The Common Good is an initiative of The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation and exists to help people live healthier for longer.
Through the power of the collective, The Common Good supports and facilitates the work of incredible researchers who are dedicated to making breakthroughs in the areas of heart disease, dementia, mental health and lung disease to help people like Bill.
Research is a long game, so our mission is to support and fund as many hours as possible to ensure no stone is left unturned in any of our research areas. Every extra hour of research gets us one step closer to a medical breakthrough.
The Common Good is also proud to provide local hospital support to both The Prince Charles Hospital, Australia’s leading cardiothoracic hospital, as well as Caboolture Hospital.
To help offset operational costs, The Common Good operates various social enterprise businesses including cafes and a catering business. This means that donations from the public can be maximised and funnelled directly into research, and not administration or resources.
You can read more about our research work here.
What is Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)?
Almost one in three Australians will be impacted by a lung condition, equating to over seven million people.
One of these lung conditions is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a rare, progressive lung disease associated with scarring of the lung tissue that makes it difficult to breathe.
Idiopathic means that the cause is unknown.
Whilst treatments are available to help slow the progress of IPF, there is currently no cure and no treatment which can reverse the scarring of the lungs. IPF will eventually lead to respiratory failure and death, with the median survival reported to range from two to five years. It is estimated that approximately 1,250 people are diagnosed with IPF each year.
Bill has described lung disease as a lonely place, with many assumptions and deep stigmas attached. From comments of ‘not looking sick enough’ to ‘you must have been a smoker’, awareness and education are key to progressing social outcomes, research outcomes, and ultimately better outcomes for people impacted.