WA sports couple go punk for charity
Australian cricket star Mitchell Johnson and his wife Jessica Bratich-Johnson will go punk next weekend, all in the name of charity.
The couple are ambassadors for the Rachael Doherty Foundation, which is hosting its Punk Glamour Gala Ball at the University of WA's Winthrop Hall next Saturday.
Johnson said he was going to get into the spirit by dressing up for the gala, which will include a punk-themed fashion show featuring his designer wife's accessories and Jonte Pike's latest collection.
"We were just away in Bali for Jess' brother's wedding and some of the boys were scheming about how we are going to do black-tie punk," Johnson said.
Johnson has become an in- demand sporting hero but always makes time for the foundation.
"It is a privilege for us to be able to do this," he said. "It is a very special cause to Jess and I and to her family and friends."
Doherty was a close friend of former karate champion Bratich-Johnson and died aged 27 in 2012 from Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Bratich-Johnson said her friend's fight for survival had highlighted a lack of specialist cancer treatment facilities in Perth.
“She was a really beautiful girl who battled cancer for eight years and struggled with the treatment in Perth and had to fly to Melbourne quite regularly, even every fortnight, because we didn’t have the proper treatment available in Perth,” she said.
The Doherty family had spent almost $1 million over seven years on flights, accommodation and hospital bills associated with Rachael’s treatment at Melbourne’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
Since its inception in March 2012, the Rachael Doherty Foundation has raised over $300,000 for cancer research projects and support programs within WA.
The foundation’s ultimate goal is build a dedicated cancer centre in Perth that could offer specialised and consistent treatment similar to the Peter MacCallum Clinic.
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Tickets to the gala are available from rachaeldoherty.org.
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