Brittany Coles

Brittany Coles is a journalist, producer and presenter with a passion for story-telling and connecting with people. 
 
Brittany began her media career in her hometown of Melbourne, Australia - writing for Geelong Advertiser, Victoria's oldest morning newspaper. At the time her dad was undergoing radiation and chemo treatment at Peter Mac Cancer Centre for tonsil and tongue cancer. She developed a love for sharing stories that otherwise weren't heard and became a voice for the community. 
 
Her dad Andrew Coles is an active member of HANCA after developing a rare airways disease, supraglottic stenosis, due to radiation for his Head and Neck Cancer. Andrew has had three tracheotomies and can no longer eat orally, only liquid through his PEG tube. Since 2020, Brittany and her mum have been a support for Andrew as he navigates living with the life-long consequences of his cancer. 
 
Brittany felt there were limited resources, funding and awareness and is on a mission to make HANCA a household name. Frustrated by the looks her dad gets in public from eating pureed food, to his tracheostomy tube, nasal and now stomach PEG - she started a TIKTOK to boost knowledge and help him build confidence. Her account now has over 6.5 million likes and 68,000 followers. She has formed a global online community, bringing attention and connection to Head and Neck Cancer, and raised over $20,000 to support her Dad who can no longer work as a result of Head and Neck Cancer. 
 
Brittany has experience covering breaking news events and reporting live from location. She previously was an anchor for TICKER NEWS, airing on steaming networks around the world. There, Brittany presented live bulletins, panel discussions in-studio and led digital strategy. Her experience has now landed her at Nine News Melbourne, producing stories at Australia's largest locally owned media company. 
 
Brittany is extremely excited to be an Ambassador for HANCA. Her passion is to spread awareness about the lifelong effects and non-linear recovery process of Head and Neck Cancer. With her wealth of media understanding and interest in politics, her main aim for the charity is to receive a boost in government funding and recognition. Ultimately, she wants to support families just like hers, advocating for her dad and the wider HANCA network.