On 6th May, I had the honour of attending the launch of The Jem Juckes Wellness Program at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in Camperdown. It was a moment of profound pride, and profound sadness.
Jemma Juckes was from Glenorie. For nine years she ran the Glenorie Pizzeria, not just a business, but a genuine community gathering place. She was a wife to Lang, a stepmother to Riley, a sister, a daughter, and a friend to more people than she probably realised.
In April 2023, at thirty-three years old, Jemma was diagnosed with stage four non-small cell lung cancer carrying a rare EGFR exon 20 mutation. What began as what she thought was sciatica pain ended with a diagnosis that would define the rest of her short life, not by limiting her, but by revealing the full measure of her character.
When Jemma was offered Amivantamab, a drug specifically targeting that rare mutation, she was told it would cost $10,000 per session with no PBS subsidy available. She did what Jemma did: she went public, raised the funds through Rare Cancers Australia, and her community and strangers rallied alongside her.
On her behalf, I lobbied the Health Minister to list the drug and attended her community fundraiser.
She passed away on the 18th of December 2024. She was thirty-four years old. Two days later, Amivantamab was listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
I have spoken about Jemma in Parliament because her story deserves to be part of our national record. The 150 Australians diagnosed each year with her rare mutation will now access that drug without the impossible financial burden Jemma carried. That is her gift to people she never met.
Family, including Lang, Riley, Todd, Elise, Lynn and Brett channelled their grief into action. The Jem Juckes Wellness Program offers a free online wellness space, grants for people living with advanced cancer, and the My Journey Wellness Journal, practical tools to help people feel grounded, connected, and seen as whole human beings, not just diagnoses.
Glenorie is our community. Jemma was ours. But her courage belongs to every Australian who will face a rare cancer diagnosis and find, because of her, that the path is a little less difficult.
For more information, please visit the Jemma Juckes Wellness Program website: Home Page – Jemma Juckes Wellness Corner.
