Joel read every book on his late wife's bedside table. One of them changed everything.
When Joel Hockey’s wife Natalie died, he did what grief makes you do – he grasped for whatever connection he could find.
Natalie had been his greatest support in life – a beloved wife, mother and primary school teacher. When she was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer, she and Joel faced it together, praying and telling each other they loved each other every night until the end.
When she passed away, Joel was left with the painful practicalities. Natalie’s clothes still hung in the wardrobe, and he couldn’t bring himself to move them. Then he noticed the pile of books on her bedside table.
About six weeks after Natalie’s passing, Joel decided to sit down with Natalie’s books. Among them was A Doctor in Africa by Dr Andrew Browning AM – the story of his own journey from childhood to becoming a missionary doctor and founding the Barbara May Foundation (BMF). Natalie had come across BMF through their church, The Grove Baptist, which had supported the Foundation for years. The books had been hers – reading them felt like seeing something through her eyes.
“I guess the idea of reading the books that she had appealed to a feeling of ongoing connection,” Joel said. “You just want the person to be back. Or you grasp for whatever you can find to help.”
Dr Andrew Browning AM with a fistula patient who was cured
Dr Andrew operates on a patient
What stayed with Joel wasn’t a single passage or moment. It was a thought that arrived quietly and hasn’t left.
“I have a prevailing thought that the women in Africa could be my wife or my daughters. Just like Natalie, they dreamt of being married and having children and living a happy life,” Joel shared.
It’s a thought rooted in something deeply personal. Joel’s first son was born eight weeks early by emergency caesarean, 24 years ago. He knows, in his bones, what access to good healthcare means.
“I remember thinking that if it wasn’t for the great health system that we have, my wife and son would both likely be dead and my life would be very different,” said Joel.
He couldn’t save Natalie from the cancer that took her. But he could do something for women whose lives hang in the balance for entirely preventable reasons. “It is a nice feeling of connection with her if I can help other women and families,” said Joel.
Joel with Natalie and their children
Multiplying Their Impact
Joel is a computer programmer in Brisbane, where he met Dr Andrew Browning AM at a BMF fundraising event last year. Quietly analytical by nature, he approached giving the same way he approaches most things – methodically, and with an eye for impact.
Joel quickly organised for his workplace’s giving program to support BMF as one of its approved charities, enabling matched giving with employee donations. He then arranged for Dr Browning to speak at his workplace. Now his wife’s passion for helping others has spread and multiplied further than she could have ever imagined.
“Every story that I read from BMF, or when I’ve heard Andrew talk, is very impactful,” he said. “The large change that BMF can provide for a person’s life for such a low money cost is remarkable.”
Joel’s experience is a reminder that generosity doesn’t have to stop with a single donation. Many workplaces offer giving programs that match employee contributions dollar for dollar – instantly doubling the impact of every gift. It’s worth asking your employer whether a program like this exists. As Joel has shown, it can turn one person’s compassion into something far bigger.
