Ren Pedersen

Ren Michael Pedersen (born "Rene") 4 February 1971 in Atherton, North Queensland, Australia.

Ren is a prominent, international advocate for children's brain cancer research and owner of a long-standing crane hire business in Townsville, North Queensland. After the death of his daughter Amy, from a brain stem cancer known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), Ren founded the independent Australian arm of The Cure Starts Now [1].

In 2012 and 2017 Ren was nominated for Australian of the Year award in recognition of his efforts to fund research into holistic cancer cures, via targeting the most challenging paediatric brain tumours. He was awarded the Rotary International Harris Medal in 2012, Lauren Hill Full Court Press Award in 2017 and Pride of Australia Medal in 2018.

Early life

Ren's family are direct descendants of pioneering convict settlers, John Warby[2] and Sarah Bently. He is the first born of Ken and Marie (née McMahon) Pedersen in 1971, Ren's family owned Australia's second oldest continually operating hotel, The Royal Hotel, in Herberton, North Queensland. In 1975, following an unfortunate marriage breakdown, Marie moved to Atherton with her two sons.

The family relocated to Ayr, North Qld, in 1978, where Ren completed school at St Francis primary school and later, Ayr High. Ren says his experiences at St Francis Primary School could only be described as "Humiliating... But the cruel, heartless teachers unwittingly created in me a resilience to brutality and an elevated empathy for children in need."

Career

After successfully completing Senior, Ren immediately left home and became a qualified Horticulturalist with the Burdekin Shire Council.

Moving to Townsville around 1990, Ren started a small landscape gardening business, before accepting an offer to experience professional Rugby League with the Canterbury Bulldogs, then Wests, soon after.

Upon arrival in Sydney early February 1992, Ren also trialled for the famous Randwick Rugby Union club under the pseudonym of "John Keller" and was graded after scoring four tries in a single game during an Open club trial. The offer to play Union was declined.

After serious knee and facial injuries and major operations in 1992 and 1993, Ren was convinced to re-establish first grade credentials with the NRL feeder club Newtown Jets. Although attaining solid employment in Sydney at Port Botany Container Depot,[3] Ren returned to Townsville by 1994, disillusioned with sitting in the stands from injury and fed up with "city life".

After immediately gaining employment as a Stevedore in Townsville, Ren played centre in University's unsuccessful Grand Final tilt on 18 September 1994. Ren credits his greatest achievement in Rugby League as making two complete sets of six tackles in a single game against the Burdekin, earlier that same season.

Ren retired from League soon after, but made a few, uninspiring attempts to rekindle past glories in early 2000s. Eventually making "A" Grade with Teachers Wests Rugby Union and University Rugby League sides in the early 2000s. The heart was strong, but the legs weary.

Ceasing employment at the port in 2004, Patriot Crane Hire[4] was formed in 2005.

Ren has travelled extensively and was married to Sharon (née Moretto) on 5 October 1996, in Central Park, New York City, U.S. They have three children, oldest Jack born in 1997 and Riley rattling the eardrums in 2012. The legacy of middle daughter, Amy Pedersen (2000–2009), has inspired a nation.

Following the death of his beloved princess, Ren formed The Cure Starts Now (Australia) in efforts to honour a promise to Amy that he "Would never give up!" and give future brain tumour children, both in Australia and internationally, a shot at life.

Charity work

The Cure Starts Now was founded in 2007 by Cincinnati's Keith and Brooke Desserich with Ren Pedersen director of the independent Australian branch of this amazing international organization.

  • March 2009 – The Cure Starts Now (Australia) established by Ren Pedersen.
  • June 2009 – Board and formal structures implemented. The Cure Starts Now (Inc) becomes official DGR Registered Australian charity (Incorporation #IA37656)
  • 2010 – After intense lobbying, the most dreaded term in all fields of cancer, "Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma"/DIPG, is recognised in its own right as a distinct ailment in Australian medical institutions. Previously, DIPG was merely classified as a "Miscellaneous CNS Tumour".
  • 2011 – $100K revolutionary "Robotic Screening Technology" Grant approved for The Children's Cancer Institute of Australia.
  • 2011 – Founding member of the DIPG Collaborative [5].
  • 2011 – National DIPG Autopsy Donation protocols implemented across major Australian hospitals
  • 2012 - Father [6]nominated for Australian Of The Year and Pride of Australia awards.
  • 2012 Ren Pedersen awarded Rotary's prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship Award [7].
  • January 2013 – $100,000 "PANEO Drug Protocol" Grant to CCIA
  • May 2013 – Australian DIPG researchers showcased for first time at esteemed international DIPG Symposium in Chicago
  • November 2013 – $109,000 Monash Institute of Medical Research Grant to fund "Targeted Drug and Stem Cell Therapy" trials [8]
  • 2014 – National Registry implemented, fusing autopsy and clinical data from all major Australian hospitals.
  • 2014 – The Cure Starts Now internationally recognised and featured at world's most prestigious cancer conference [9], ISPNO in Singapore.
  • 2014 – Musically inept Ren Pedersen plays piano at Australian High Commissioner's Residence in Singapore.
  • March 2015 – $103,615 "F.A.C.T/CBL1037" Grant to Children's Cancer Institute of Australia (CCIA) equating to the largest private DIPG donation in Australian history, at the time [10]
  • October 2015 – $190,000 CCIA "Feretinide" Grant [11]
  • February 2016 – The Cure Starts Now (Australia) implements national Monkey In My Chair program [12].
  • October 2016 – $180,000 provided to CCIA through the "DCA" Grant [13].
  • December 2016 - CCIA "Benefactors Award" presented to The Cure Starts Now at Government House, Sydney, Australia.
  • January 2017 - Ren Pedersen nominated for "Australian Of The Year".
  • May 2017 – Ren Pedersen awarded "Lauren Hill Full Court Press Award" in Cincinnati, USA.
  • June 2017 – Australia's Monkey In My Chair Co-Ordinator, Di Marthick, announces full implementation of this amazing scheme across the nation.
  • October 2017 – National Media Event: upon arrival by helicopter, $236K cheque awarded to CCIA's Dr Laura Franshaw on behalf of DIPG Collaborative for "PCK1" Grant. By far, the largest private DIPG research donation in Australian history.
  • February 2018 – Australian father, Ren Pedersen addresses international DIPG Collaborative conference in Washington DC.
  • February, 2018 - Director of The Cure Starts Now (Australia) awarded Pride of Australia Medal [14] for achievements toward eradicating "The Deadliest Cancer Known To Man".
  • March 2018 – Ren Pedersen officially announces Sydney's hosting of the 2019 international DIPG Symposium, potentially one of the most important gatherings in Australian medical history.
  • August 1st 2019 - International DIPG Symposium [15] held in Sydney, regarded as potentially one of the most important medical conferences ever held upon Australian shores:
  • August 22rd 2019 - WA Telethon Institute's Prof. Terry Johns awarded $73464.25 "Ion Channel Inhibition" grant.
  • November 2019 - The DIPG Collaborative presented a research grant cheque for $146,298.29 to Dr Han Shen at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research. [16][17]
  • December 2019 - The Cure Starts Now Australia donated $151,468 to Sydney Children's Hospital to develop new epigenetic combination treatments against DIPG.[18]

Up to Aug 2019, over $2 million has been directly raised by Ren Pedersen and The Cure Starts Now (Australia) [19] for DIPG brain tumour research, since 2009 inception [20]

Additionally, Ren has indirectly assisted in acquiring an additional $7.5m (approx.) worth of Australian DIPG/BT research funding via alternate funding streams, i.e. CCIA, NHMRC Grants, etc.

Collective pooling of resources and processes has realized around $12m worth of new international DIPG/BT research via the DIPG Collaborative, of which The Cure Starts Now (Australia) is a Foundational Member.

Ren sits upon the Cure Starts Now's internationally acclaimed Strategic Advisory Council which has overseen the approval of approximately $21M AUD worth of new BT/DIPG research projects in the past decade.[21]

References
  1. https://thecurestartsnow.org/get-involved/chapters/australia
  2. John Warby
  3. https://www.portauthoritynsw.com.au/port-botany/
  4. Patriot Crane Hire
  5. international DIPG Collaborative
  6. Ren Pedersen
  7. 'Paul Harris Fellowship award'
  8. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/a-father-has-raised-100000-to-fight-deadly-cancer-in-honour-of-daughter/news-story/0cbd8a9178d0aeccefa23e434324bff0
  9. prestigious cancer conference
  10. https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/29892466/surprise-funding-boost-for-child-cancer-scientists/
  11. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/scientists-find-key-to-stopping-incurable-child-brain-cancer-with-malaria-drug-but-they-need-funding/news-story/b795f7db47f257aebe075fd317b7ce84
  12. Monkey In My Chair program
  14. Ren Pedersen is awarded a Pride of Australia medal
  16. https://www.westmeadinstitute.org.au/news-and-events/2019/grant-supports-wimr-s-much-needed-research-into-ag
  17. https://www.thecurestartsnow.org.au/impact/research-and-grants/the-westmead-institute-for-medical-research/
  18. https://www.thecurestartsnow.org/impact/research-and-grants/sydney-childrens-hospital-2019-12-20/
  19. https://ccia.org.au/blog/changing-future-children-brain-cancer/
  20. https://ccia.org.au/home/all-stories/amy/
  21. https://thecurestartsnow.org/about-us/councils/strategic/
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