The backstory

Firstly, to those of you who don’t know us, I am Anna and my sister is Clare.

Late last year, our family was presented with a battle we never considered, a battle we didn’t (and still don’t) know how to handle. Our mum (57) was diagnosed with metastasised cancer.

After months of waiting and weeks of tests and uncertainty, we waited for positive news, but unfortunately none came. What was originally believed to be ovarian cancer, quickly changed to pancreatic and then back to ovarian before landing on the unknown. Unlike most cancer patients, we are unable to say what type of cancer mum has; instead she has been diagnosed with “cancer of the unknown primary”.

By not knowing the primary, doctors are unable to treat the cancer to the best of their ability; instead they have begun aggressive chemo with the goal of ‘extending life’.

Despite undergoing aggressive chemo every 11 days, not once has Mum stopped to question ‘why me’ – instead Mum has faced this battle front on with unwavering strength and positivity. Out of a horrible situation, all you can do is reflect upon any positives there may be, and from this situation we can draw absolute admiration for the strength our mum has displayed; strength not just for herself, but for us, for our family and for those around her.

What we are doing

Now onto the fun* part, in May, Clare and I will be running the SMH Half Marathon as a relay team. Florian and Marshall are both stepping up and getting involved and will be running the full half marathon. Our goal is to raise money for a cause very close to our hearts, the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) - https://www.acrf.com.au/.

To help kick-start the campaign, Allens will match all staff funds raised (up to $10,000). ACRF funds research into ALL types of cancer, in research institutes, universities and hospitals all across Australia, providing access to large grants of $1M - $10M for innovative cancer research projects and to build research capacity across Australia.

*this will not be fun, we are both TERRIBLE runners!

How can you help?

Sadly your donations will not help our mum find a solution, but they will help families down the track as they fight this horrible disease.

Cancer touches all of us, whether it be through loved ones, friends or family. So please help us outsmart cancer and donate to help fund ACRF's goal that one day we will live in a cancer free world.

ACRF funds are directed to purchase state of the art equipment and technologies that speed up the scientific discovery process – ultimately working to save lives by saving time.

You can help us by spreading the word! Help us get the word out and share the link to your Facebook!