Devastating reason little girl’s artwork sold for $100k

An artwork painted by a young Aussie schoolgirl who died from an incurable form of brain cancer has sold for a whopping $100,000 at a charity auction.

Evie Poolman was just nine at the time of her death, having suffered a short battle with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) — a deadly type of brain tumour — two years ago.

Before her death, which came just six months after her diagnosis, Evie painted the 'Lone Soldier' — a striking red and orange artwork depicting an Anzac standing before a grave at sunset.

Incurable cancer 'just devastating'

Evie underwent four brain surgeries and 30 rounds of radiation for her condition but lost her battle in June, 2021.

Currently, DIPG has a zero per cent survival rate but despite this, since 2015, less than a million dollars has been dedicated to research in Australia.

Now, in a bid to increase that funding, Evie's parents Chuck and Bridget chose to auction off their late daughter's piece at the Heels 2 Heal charity lunch in Sydney on Friday. The lucky winner, Jo Kinghorn, forked out an eye-watering $100,000 for the artwork — "with absolute joy and pleasure".

"It was so exciting for me, I've never really experienced anything like that before," Kinghorn, a friend of the Poolman family, told 2GB's Ben Fordham, adding that she hadn't woken up that day expecting to part with so much money.

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"I'm just so grateful that the painting ended up in my hands."

Zero per cent chance of survival

In Australia, roughly 20 per cent of child cancer deaths are attributed to DIPG and experts have long called for more funding into research and treatment.

"It's a drop in the ocean as to what is needed, and the government has the ability to properly fund these trials," Kinghorn said of the money spent.

"I saw first-hand what this did to a family, and the strength of this family is beyond words. I cannot be more proud. It's just devastating."

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