General practice has lost one of its greatest champions and truest advocates with the passing of Dr Kerri Parnell
General practice has lost one of its greatest champions and truest advocates with the passing of Dr Kerri Parnell last Monday from breast cancer.
Kerri was one of Australia’s leading lights in medical publishing, the last two years here as Editor-in-Chief at The Medical Republic, having previously spent 15 years at Australian Doctor in many roles, including editor and publisher.
Kerri started her working life as an occupational therapist, but soon realised her true vocation was medicine and underwent medical training through the University of Newcastle, graduating in 1985.
While she was interested and skilled in many specialties, Kerri’s love of variety and the nuances of personalities saw her drawn to general practice, obtaining her FRACGP in 1992.
While working as a GP in Sydney, she became involved in a focus group for the Australian Doctor newspaper. It was here, her intellect, wisdom and eloquence came to the notice of the editorial team and she was quickly recruited by the publication.
For the next two decades she shared her passion for medicine, for general practice and for the welfare of her patients with GPs Australia-wide. The poignancy of her editorials resonated with the profession, truly reflecting the opinion of doctors and highlighting the challenges being faced by those at the coalface.
She was fierce in her defence of the profession and general practitioners, and the key role they played in the lives of all Australians. When in 2010 the RACGP presented her with a Life Fellowship award for her “tireless advocacy for general practice and GPs” she was not only honoured and delighted, she was also surprised – she was just being herself: passionate and honest, devoid of pretence and intolerant of stupidity.
In addition to her skill with words, Kerri was a people person. She loved a chat, getting to know someone, understanding another person’s point of view. She could be blunt at times, but you always knew where you stood with Kerri. She said what she meant and meant what she said, and her honesty was matched by her generous, warm heart. She was a true and loyal friend as many, many people knew.
She was also great fun. Great fun to work with, to travel with, to party with, to be with. Her sometimes wicked sense of humour and ready laugh were distinctive, and will be a treasured memory by so many of us. It is hard to believe we will never hear that laugh again.
Kerri was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer almost 10 years ago. Words cannot do justice to how she lived her life under that Damocles sword for the past decade. In her inimitable style, she never hid from the inevitability of this diagnosis, but she never brooked any sympathy nor concessions because of it either. She took on new challenges, learnt new skills, travelled extensively and worked to capacity right up until the last few months. She was the definition of courage.
In the end, Kerri was grateful that she was given the time to see her beloved children, Tom and Helen, grow into the wonderful young adults they are, create those extra years of special memories with her dear husband, Greg, and have the chance to know just what she meant to so many people and how loved and respected she was.
Kerri was incredibly special. The worlds of general practice and medical publishing are so much poorer for her loss.
And for those of us who called her friend, we will miss her forever.
