Find a donor she did, through the SABMR but by then it was too late. The disease had taken its toll on Chris’ body, and three years after his diagnosis, he lost his battle. He was 17. It was a devastating blow for his family who had worked tirelessly to save him, and especially so for his younger sister, Tarryn Corlett, who was 14 at the time. Life had to go on and instead of having Chris around; all that was left was The Sunflower Fund.


It was a painful reminder for Tarryn, who initially found it difficult to support her mom and the work of The Fund. “When my brother passed away, I didn’t deal with his death very well [and The Sunflower Fund] was a constant reminder of him.” She has since changed her view. In her first year at University, the impact of Chris’ death finally hit her and, after visiting a counsellor and working through the loss, she realised that she had to get involved.

“I just knew,” explains Corlett. “Initially, I had always wanted to be a physiotherapist. But as I grew and developed as a person, I watched my mom and had seen what she had done and achieved. I knew that I wanted to be part of that.” It’s what prompted her to join the organisation in 2009 as the National PR and Marketing Fundraiser. Fast forward six years and Corlett is running the show.

However, this doesn’t mean that Corlett wasn’t nervous about taking up the position. After all, she took over from her mother – the very woman who built The Sunflower Fund from the ground up. It’s a massive task for anyone, let alone someone of Tarryn’s age. “It was certainly a scary task,” confesses Corlett, “being asked to fill somebody's shoes and especially her shoes. I wasn’t sure if I was able to do that.”

In fact, she has managed to do more than hold her own. One only needs to speak to The Sunflower Fund’s National PR and Marketing Specialist, Lauren Corlett, to hear this: “Because she is young and vibrant, people tend to underestimate her. However, she is able to hold her own in anyone’s company. She can cross quite easily from the work of the fund, which is empathy-based and personal to the financial side – budgets and strategy. And with that people ultimately respect her.”

I couldn’t agree more. If you ever meet Corlett, I’d be willing to bet anything that you’ll want her to be your best friend. It’s because she comes across as that type of person: warm; energetic; genuine. She is not ego-driven; there are no airs or graces about her. She is the type of person who should be running an organisation such as The Sunflower Fund.

“She certainly leads from the front,” points out The Sunflower Fund’s National Liaison Specialist, Shelley Windell. “She applauds you and recognises your strengths and allows you to be an independent thinker. She values your views and allows you to carry them forward should they be beneficial.” And, for an organisation that depends on the generosity of the public to survive, teamwork and togetherness are crucial.

Looking at the losses that she has endured during her short life, you can understand why she thinks like this. Besides Chris, she has lost both her father and grandmother to suicide. And yet, she remains steadfast in her beliefs. They are tragic losses that have galvanised her into the kind of person that she is today: it has ignited a passion in her that will see her doing her utmost to prevent the same feeling of loss felt in other families.

It means that The Sunflower Fund has become so much more than just one family’s mission to find hope in the darkness.  It’s now about inspiring hope for everyone else too. Long may Corlett help The Sunflower Fund to continue this quest.


*For more information on The Sunflower Fund and how to become a bone marrow stem cell donor, phone 0800 12 10 82 or visit 
www.sunflowerfund.org.za.