At the time, Mr Barbeliuk made a promise to himself that if he was ever in a position to assist the clinic - he would.

That day came on Thursday, on what would have been Mrs Barbeliuk's 77^th birthday, with her son formally presenting the first part of a million dollar donation to the Northern W.P. Holman Clinic Trust.

"When she [Judith] was here, I prayed about it. I said 'if you show grace and mercy, I will help the hospital'," Mr Barbeliuk explained.

"Even though she didn't survive, that is no reflection on the hospital. I thought I have to follow through with this.

"I have had a really horrible 10 years and I have seen the worst of human nature. I thought, I need to do something good to balance the bad I have witnessed."

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As part of an ongoing program established for the clinic, Mr Barbeliuk's first donation of $250,000 will be used to purchase new cutting-edge technology Brachytherapy equipment.

For many years the clinic has been at the forefront - both nationally and internationally - in Brachytherapy, which involves the delivery of precise, high dose radiation therapy to tumour sites.

The technique differs from other external beam radiation therapy in that it involves delivering much higher radiation doses to smaller areas of the body - minimising the impact to surrounding healthy tissue.

Along with new equipment, Mr Barbeliuk has also agreed to contribute to the development of a Cancer Patient Survivorship Program in Northern Tasmania.

The new initiative recognises that while the W.P. Holman Clinic can deliver high quality personalised cancer treatments, more resources are needed to support the ongoing needs of patients and their carers long-term - once the acute phase of treatment is complete.

It's something Northern Tasmanian Cancer Service director Dr Stan Gauden said was particularly important for patients living in rural and regional Tasmania.

"The numbers are pretty huge. Within Australia, there are over a million people at the moment either living with a diagnosis of cancer or beyond," he said.

"So in Tasmania, that equates to about 21,000 people. That's a lot of support that unfortunately the service we work under doesn't really offer at the moment.

"This [donation] will allow us to offer more outreach to rural and regional centres where the lack of support and lack of continuity is at its worst.

"It's about trying to get people back onto the treadmill of life after a very significant upset."

Dr Gauden was at the centre of care provided to Mrs Barbeliuk, who sadly lost her battle with lung cancer.

Originally from Sydney, Mr Barbeliuk said his mother had been drawn to Northern Tasmania about 15 years ago.

After building a home at Longford, he said it was the first place she had been able to find peace in her life. It is also where she was laid to rest.

"My mum had a lot of mental health issues. She was not a happy person. But the happiest time of her life was here, in Tasmania," he said.

"This donation is about legacy, and this is hers. It wouldn't have happened without her.

"She introduced me to this hospital, this clinic and Northern Tasmania, and that's very special. She found peace for the first time in her life here."

A journalist with almost four decades of experience - including health reporting - Mr Barbeliuk now shares his time between Sydney and Tasmania. This includes regular visits to his mother's former home at Longford.

With the $250,000 donation the first in a series of contributions he plans to make to the clinic's trust, Mr Barbeliuk is also calling on others in the community - as well as government - to match his commitment.

"So many things in the world could be fixed if we all worked together. Coronavirus has proven that," he said.

"If all governments can communicate to introduce lockdowns, why can't we get the hospitals the equipment they need? Why can't we fix the homeless problem? Why can't we make educational opportunities available to kids who can't afford it?

"If the pandemic has taught us anything it's that we need to take control of our own lives, through our health system. We can't rely on government to do it for us.

"I would encourage all Tasmanians, if they can afford it, or if the hospital is in their estate, bring a donation forward. No matter how much it is.

"I also challenge the government - maybe I will meet them on a dollar to dollar basis. Let's take something small and make it big."

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