Nicole Baso’s smile lit up a room and her fiancé John Jirouch hopes her memory will stay alive through his donation to the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation.
He made a tax-deductible donation to the Foundation, for use in the Cancer Care Ward at Cairns Hospital, in her memory.
She was diagnosed with multiple myeoloma in 2011 after slipping and breaking her hip.
“We actually met when a friend of mine met her and said I should meet her as I was looking for a dancing partner. After a few days I got up the courage to call her and we talked for seven hours. That was the beginning, really,” Mr Jirouch said.
“We decided, when I took a redundancy after she was diagnosed, to buy a bus and travel around Australia so we did that for six years. She’s been in almost every major hospital in the country but she eventually decided she wanted to live up here.
“Nicole was first diagnosed in March 2011 and right from the start, Nicole was so positive that she would beat it. Countless trips to the Royal Brisbane Hospital, chemo, tablets, steroids, cell harvest and terrible pain that she went through.
“She was in remission for four-and-a-half years but it slowly made its way back.
“Although the end was at Gordonvale Palliative Care, the Cancer Care Ward at Cairns Hospital was our second home. The nurses and staff were so amazing to us. They became our second family. I just want her to never be forgotten. She was such an incredibly special person. I hope this donation can make a difference to other patients.
“To see such a beautiful woman go from being so independent, to relying on me for everything from cooking to washing, showering and even shaving her legs. While in Gordonvale Hospital a nurse said to me have you had the talk with Nicole. It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, to say it was alright for Nicole to go, knowing I did not want her to,” he said.
Foundation CEO Gina Hogan said Nicole and John’s was an inspiring story of love, compassion and sacrifice.
“John’s donation and willingness to share their story is a beautiful gift to the whole community. We will ensure his donation goes towards helping other cancer patients and their families,” Mrs Hogan said.
Photo: Nicole Baso and John Jirouch in happier times.
