Stacey Gorman is on a mission to raise awareness of a devastating disease that has robbed her of close family members.
Ms Gorman, who owns Shear Kaos on Station St in Cobram, will be lighting her business windows red to raise awareness of haemochromatosis between Friday, May 31 and Friday, June 7.
Haemochromatosis is an inherited blood disease that causes the body to absorb more iron than usual from food.
The disease is statistically common, and if undetected and untreated causes liver damage, heart problems, arthritis and diabetes.
It is often detectable in blood tests.
For Ms Gorman, the disease has taken a personal toll, with both her father and her uncle succumbing to the illness.
Her father was the first to learn he had the disease. Ms Gorman said it was a shock, as no-one in her family had even heard of it.
“My father was 54 years old when he died and said if he had detected the disease earlier he would still be alive,” Ms Gorman said.
“He was on treatment for six years, and it just didn’t do anything and eventually, he lost the battle.”
Her father died in 2017 and her uncle (her father’s brother) also passed away from the inherited illness.
If that wasn’t a big enough blow, Ms Gorman’s fiancé was diagnosed with the same disorder in 2019 and had to undergo two and a half years of treatment.
Though the disease is incurable, Ms Gorman’s fiancé is now in a situation where he just needs regular check-ups.
As part of raising awareness around haemochromatosis, Ms Gorman is also planning to raise money for research.
“With every colour service done next week, $5 will be donated to Haemochromatosis Australia,” she said.
Ms Gorman also has a warning for the public not to take their health for granted and to keep up-to-date when it comes to health matters.
“Have regular health checks when you’re young, so you can monitor these things ... early detection is critical,” she said.