Marion McCormack was a curious and thoughtful soul with a deep fascination for the world around her. This led her to explore 36 countries, driven by a desire to see, learn, and understand.

When Marion was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she faced the challenges of the disease with courage and grace. But beyond her own journey, she had a selfless vision—to help other women battling the same illness. Before she sadly passed away, Marion made the extraordinary decision to leave a bequest to further cancer research and patient care.

Working closely with Marion’s brother Peter, Flinders Foundation has honoured her legacy by establishing a dedicated clinical research midwife/nurse position in the Women & Children’s Division at SALHN. This role, funded over a 12-month period, is focused on improving ovarian cancer care pathways, further strengthening service provision, and enhancing the experience of patients navigating their diagnosis and treatment.

We caught up with Jaclyn Davey, the successful candidate for this pivotal role, to discuss how it will transform ovarian cancer care and why legacy giving is vital for healthcare innovation.

Q: Can you tell us more about what this role involves?

This role is all about improving the healthcare experience for women with ovarian cancer. Women with this disease often interact with multiple hospital departments, and our goal is to ensure seamless communication and coordination between these services. We’re particularly focused on enhancing technology use.

A key part of my work will be speaking directly with the women to understand their experiences and what improvements they’d like to see. We want to make sure that every woman with ovarian cancer being treated at Flinders—whether she’s from a metro, rural, or remote area—receives the same high standard of care.

Marion’s legacy can make a difference statewide as it is also expected the improvements identified from this important work can inform care for women across South Australia, regardless of where they may be having their treatment.

Another important focus is education. We’ll be developing specialised training packages for our midwives and nurses working in gynaecology. That way, when a woman with ovarian cancer moves through the service, the team is further empowered to provide personalised, compassionate care.

We’ll also collaborate closely with the oncology unit, leveraging their strong expertise in patient education. And beyond the hospital, we’ll work with Flinders University and ovarian cancer support groups to raise awareness and ensure best practices are in place.

Q: Why is legacy giving, like Marion’s, so important for frontline healthcare workers like yourself?

We are incredibly fortunate to have outstanding clinicians at Flinders, but there is always room to enhance patient care. Additional funding allows us to delve deeper into evaluating and improving services.

Legacy giving is crucial because it funds initiatives that might not otherwise receive attention. It provides the resources needed to research better care approaches, implement new strategies, and give patients the best possible experience during such a difficult time.

Thanks to Marion’s generosity, we now have an opportunity to focus on ovarian cancer care in a way that can make a real, lasting impact. Her legacy is creating meaningful change—helping women today and shaping the future of healthcare for generations to come.