You Can Have A Huge Impact On This World—What Will It Be?

Have you given much thought to the mark you leave? About the legacy or impact each of us will leave on our family, our friends, our work, and the world? Craig Badings shares a personal story of strength and resilience about his niece, Bella Bradford, who tragically passed from a rare form of cancer. Even at a young age, and despite her pain, Bella left a remarkable legacy on how to live life to the fullest, how to make the most of every moment, and how to live positively despite knowing she was going to pass. Here’s what Bella taught him. 

Bella's story

Bella Bradford was a remarkable young woman. In her early 20s, she was driven, ambitious, bright and curious. She was also very fit (a former Pilates instructor). She had plenty of special qualities; she was warm, engaged, engaging, loving, family-oriented and a great friend—she had a very special, close-knit circle of friends from school, uni and work. She loved to hang out with them, listen to music, and talk and most of all, she loved fashion. In fact, her love for fashion resulted in a large TikTok following.

Tragically, at the age of 24, Bella passed from a rare form of head and neck cancer. Bella was my niece, and more like a second daughter to me after she lost her dad, Brian, when she was just nine years old.

I knew Bella would be the CEO of a business one day. She had that X Factor, and those who employed her would attest to this. Sadly, we’ll never know.

What we do know is the huge impact she left behind on so many people following her three-year fight with cancer, as well as her legacy.

It all started with a pain in her jaw, which was initially thought to be her wisdom teeth. The teeth were removed, but then a cancerous mass was discovered and Bella was diagnosed with a rare form of jaw and neck cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma. At one point she conquered it—she even rang the bell to celebrate this milestone at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse Hospital where she was treated.

Her friends and family will never forget the F-U Cancer boat party she hosted for 80 friends and her cousins on Sydney Harbour.

Tragically, the cancer returned with a vengeance and despite the best efforts of a truly world-class team at Chris O’Brien and The Royal Adelaide Hospital, Bella’s cancer reached a point that gave her no option but to invoke Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD).

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VAD legislation allows eligible people suffering from a terminal illness to choose the time and manner of their own passing in a safe, compassionate and supported environment. To sign-up, you are not allowed to be under any influence from family, friends, or health practitioners. It must be entirely the decision of the patient, and then a VAD board must approve the application and only after a series of interviews.

I witnessed first-hand how empowering this was for Bella. The tumour had reached the point where it started to restrict her breathing—it was the final straw for Bella. In a testament to Bella’s incredible strength, self-determination and dignity, she invoked the VAD on Tuesday, 15th October 2024, and our beautiful Bella passed peacefully with her mom and sister by her side, holding her hands.

She fought until the bitter end. Always with grace, always grateful, and always thinking of others.

“Despite her cancer, Bella chose grace, love and gratitude.”

In those last hours, with our whole family at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse to support Bella, her mom and her sister, there was a point when we were chatting with one of those truly remarkable social workers, Jane, about VAD, she said to us: “The social workers, nursing staff, and the doctors were all in awe of Bella and her resilience.”

This was not unusual for us. We, too, were in awe of the way she had dealt with her cancer journey, and so, too, were her friends.

Bella wanted her story to help others—she wanted to show that hope and love persist no matter the challenge. Her message to others is to live life fully, love deeply, and never let adversity define you.

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Bella showed strength, dignity, grace and courage through debilitating pain, numerous chemo and radiation therapy sessions, and she twice had to endure lengthy operations on her jaw.

Despite this, she was unwavering in her determination to make a difference. She never let the cancer nor the pain define her. In fact, she turned her pain into purpose and impact.

She used the hopelessness of her situation to inspire others and to help them fight their battles with strength and resilience.

Bella once told me that when you face death, you think deeply about life. For someone so young, she had some incredible insights. Her defining one was: “I have cancer, but cancer does not have me.”

In one of her TikTok videos, Bella shares her 20 Life Lessons. Here are some of my favourites:

• Happiness is a choice, and it's only up to you. Wanting more will never compare to what you already have, and
• Bad days are a choice. There is always an option to change your attitude.

Bella's final legacy & impact

In her final months, Bella returned to her Adelaide home to be with her mom and sister. But in a cruel bureaucratic twist, they discovered that Bella could only invoke VAD in South Australia if she had lived there for a year, and so she and her family returned in her last few weeks to Sydney and the Chris O’Brien Hospital.

Bella’s final wish was to change this law for others.

I’m pleased to report that the South Australian Premier, Peter Malinauskas, is aware of Bella’s story. In a letter to the family, he stated that “the state has plans in place to adjust the legislation”. And that the VAD Review Board has “…added the option to exempt certain residency requirements on compassionate grounds to a log of matters maintained for consideration as part of the review.”.

What mark will you leave? What attitude do you choose?

Bella would do anything to be here with her family, her friends and to be getting ahead at work.

And so, to honour Bella, I leave you with two more of her 20 life lessons: “Living a long life is not a given. Never waste a second. Savour every moment, because you never know how many you have left.”

What mark will you make on this world?

A photo of Craig Badings and Bella Bradford.

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