WHEN Essendon resident Samantha Lehmann watched her brother Warwick succumb to cancer at the age of 35, she felt a helplessness and loss that would stay with her forever.
She wondered if more could be done to to ease his pain and that of other young cancer sufferers.
During months of research, Ms Lehmann grew increasingly frustrated at what appeared to be a lack of support groups for young people with cancer.
"Through my grief I used to wonder how my brother got through the struggle," she said.
"When he was in palliative care he was the only young guy around, and was usually in a room with patients twice his age.
"There is just less support for younger people with cancer, because it is assumed they are stronger and more able to deal with it.
"But that's not the case," Ms Lehmann said.
She eventually found the Peter MacCallum Institute had a program, although she was incredulous at having found only one.
Ms Lehmann's research revealed that in the past 30 years, the survival rate of cancer sufferers aged 15-39 had risen 1 per cent, whereas figures for children and the elderly had improved 30 per cent.
"A lot of the reasons lay in a lack of support and care. They are put in with the elderly so their morale and self-esteem gets very low."
This prompted Ms Lehmann to start asking the hard questions.
"Why wasn't he attending some sort of support group with people his age going through what he's going through?
"Why was he having treatment with the elderly?" she asked.
Rather than get others to answer those questions, she took matters into her own hands and formed In My Shoes - The Warwick Foundation.
Samantha says the organisation - which includes Peter MacCallum Institute oncologist David Thomas on the board - is the first and only non-profit charity in Australia focusing on the support of young adults from 18-40 on their cancer journey.
To raise money, Ms Lehmann came up with the idea of auctioning signed shoes donated by celebrities and has already collected shoes from Shane Warne, Paul Hogan, Kate Ritchie, Tamsyn Lewis and many more.
The celebrity shoe auction is now open on e-Bay until December 18.
Those interested can also visit the foundation's website at www.thewarwickfoundation.org.au
ryan.oshaughnessy@fa irfax.com.au