Our mission is simple.

Support the patients. Promote awareness. Fund research. 

…and make smoothies. (we can all make amazing smoothie).

Gastroparesis Australia was founded by Anneliese Defreitas Alarcon. She created GP Aus after suffering from gastroparesis, then needing a nasojejunal tube, repeat surgeries, and the experience of constant nausea, pain, and vomiting. (“All of it.”)

There was little information on gastroparesis and few health professionals really understood the disease. Anneliese thought this all needed to change. Less stressful. Fun, even. Why can’t patients band together to support each other and directly campaign awareness? Someone’s gotta do it anyway. She started this foundation with patients to support patients. And Gastroparesis Australia was born.

The Facebook support groups Gastroparesis Australia and Inside Story offered patients and carers a safe environment to network and share information. This website was built to be THE information hub for gastroparesis patients around Australia.

We partnered with Dr Vincent Ho and his team at Western Sydney University and Campbelltown Hospital (NSW) to support research that was shaped by patient concerns.

To date we have:

• Our support groups have 1,000+ active GP warriors around Aus and beyond!
• Created information packs that are handed out at hospitals and clinics
• Partnered with Devonport Rotary Club to fund not one BUT TWO PhD scholarships for gastroparesis research
• Engaged with WSU researchers to be involved in their clinical trials and survey
• Presented at the 2018 Australian Symposium for Gastroparesis to over 150 clinical professionals

Our Founder

Anneliese Defreitas Alarcon was diagnosed with gastroparesis in 2009 after years of chronic nausea and pain, previously dismissed as a viral illness or food poisoning. Frequently in and out of hospital, home often felt like more of a holiday than her regular residence. She manages her gastroparesis with an NJ (nasojejunal) tube and a surgically implanted ‘gastric pacemaker’. But continues to battle the physical and mental symptoms.

Anneliese lived in Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia with her two young daughters. She created Gastroparesis Australia to tell the world about her disease and connect with other patients. And now her group has grown far beyond that! And you too can join the community.

Sadly Anneliese passed away in August of 2018. But her passion to find a cure for gastroparesis lives on in the GP Aus community. She was there for all her members, motivating them to continue their fights against the disease. Anneliese leaves behind her legacy, Gastroparesis Australia, and her inspiration to continue the fight against gastroparesis.

Help us finish the fight against gastroparesis once and for all. A special memorial fund has been setup in accordance with Anneliese’s wishes, with all proceeds going towards gastroparesis research.

It’s time to get serious and kick gastroparesis’s ass! 

We feel so privileged to be part of someone’s gastroparesis journey, especially when we see them transform into a gastroparesis warrior!

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It may sound cliched but it’s true, we couldn’t have done all this without your support and donations!

Join the amazing list of generous donors who have supported our great cause….shout out to Rotary Club of Devonport, Rossetto Tiles, ITSM, Cranes Combined Tasmania, Federal Group Helping Hand Fund, Coffee Tribe Cafe, the Tasmanian State Government, and a special thanks to Dennis Turner!

We will love you whether you donate 5 dollars or 5 million dollars, it’s the thought that counts.

Host an event! Get your creativity on and get the gang together for fundraiser dinner gala, golf tournament, karaoke competition, the sky’s the limit! Contact us if you want help with ideas or want a start pack with more information.

Make a donation at Western Sydney University donations portal. Select ‘GI Motility Research’ from the ‘I would like to support’ options. Donations are 100% tax deductible and a receipt will be provided.

Explore Research

Go and check out what your donations are funding at the Translational Gastroenterology Laboratory at the School of Medicine, WSU.