The Fight Cancer Foundation was established in 1989 as the Bone Marrow Donor Institute. A concerned group of parents who had experienced first hand the devastation and helplessness of having a child with leukaemia, vowed to ensure that no other families would suffer the way they had suffered. Their mission was to establish a bone marrow donor registry in Australia, for patients with leukaemia and other blood cancers, who could not find a match within their own family. At the time, the only option was to search overseas registries, which was extremely expensive and there were often lengthy delays.
They created an organisation that would provide care, treatment and support for people with cancer, leukaemia and other blood-related disorders, and that would also fund research into finding a cure for leukaemia and other cancers.
- 1990 – The Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry was established.
- 1991 – The BMDI Leukaemia Family Support Group was established to provide non-medical advice and support for patients, families and carers.
- 1994 – The BMDI completed the The Rotary Bone Marrow Research Centre which was, gifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
- 1994 - The Bone Marrow Research Laboratory was established to find a cure for leukaemia and other cancers .
- 1995 – The BMDI Breast Cancer Support Group was formed to provide information and support for women with breast cancer.
- 1996 – The BMDI Cord Blood Bank was established in partnership with the Royal Children’s Hospital and the Murdoch Research Institute.
- 2001 – The BMDI Bone Marrow Transplant Support Group was established to provide support for transplant patients and their families.
- 2003 – The BMDI Rotary House, a home away from home, was opened in North Melbourne for patients and their families, whilst in critical care at major treating hospitals in the CBD of Melbourne.
- 2004 – The Fight Cancer Back On Track Program was launched in Melbourne.
- 2007 - The Fight Cancer Back on Track Program was launched in Sydney.
- 2008 - The Fight Cancer Foundation House - Hobart was opened to provide afforable and comfortable accomodation for patients, their carers and family members accessing Hobart’s hospitals.
- 2008 - The Fight Cancer Foundation formally established a partnership with the Ovcare National Cancer Centre in support of ovarian cancer research and test development.
- 2009 - The Fight Cancer Back To Work Program is launched in Melbourne.