Julie Nolan Memorial Fund

Hi all, thanks very much for your kind donation to the Julie Nolan Memorial Fund, following the sad passing of Julie in November 2022.

This message is to let you know that your donation has been used to fund a research project with the Heart Research Institute, to identify a potential biomarker for early changes in vascular disease activity and inflammation.

As you may know, the cause of Julie’s death was a sub-arachnoid haemorrhage, caused by a burst aneurysm, which was a weakness in the wall of one of the arteries in her brain, leading to a bulge, then a rupture. Unruptured aneurysms affect about 3.2% of people worldwide, and women above 50 are twice as likely than men to carry an aneurysm. Ruptured aneurysms occur in approximately 1 per 10,000 cases. The death rate from a ruptured cerebral aneurysm is very high, with a 50% death rate within 3 months of a rupture. Worldwide the condition causes 500,000 deaths annually, half of which are people younger than 50 years .

As I have learned since this tragic event, most unruptured brain aneurysms escape notice until they rupture or medical imaging for another condition reveals them. The current imaging process is called a magnetic resonance angiogram (or MRA scan). This is a relatively involved and expensive test, and is typically not conducted unless there is a clear cause or family history that would make the test necessary.

Without an inexpensive and non-invasive test, this leaves people who would otherwise be fit and healthy like Julie was at risk of a similarly catastrophic event. That is why we have decided to donate to the Heart Research Institute, an Australian-based research body whose mission is to prevent death and suffering from cardiovascular diseases.

Our donation is to fund a targeted piece of research to examine the ability of a potential biomarker (TRAIL) to provide early indication of vascular disease, including carotid artery disease, peripheral artery disease, end-stage abdominal aortic and cerebral aneurysm and hypertension. This TRAIL molecule is a promising candidate as a biomarker from previous research. This program is approximately 12 months in duration and is being supported by in-kind donation of research assistant time by HRI.

This research if successful will help to develop a blood test to identify at-risk individuals within our community. Further donations to HRI would be welcome. If you want to contribute further to this research, or if you know someone who would be interesting in donating, you can donate here: https://www.hri.org.au/donate

Thanks again for the love and support you have shown for Julie, to me, and our family.

David Nolan

August 2023