Alyssa Fritzlaff
WORLD Cancer Day is this Friday and local woman Caroline Lia is calling for support.
Mrs Lia, a Newborough resident, is asking people to get behind Cancer Council Victoria’s first ever Research Giving Day.
From 9am-9pm, on Friday, February 4, all donations will doubled by matched donors to help fund cancer research.
An average of 515 people in the Latrobe Valley are diagnosed with cancer each year, according to the Cancer Council, and in 2016, Mrs Lia was one of them.
After being diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago, Mrs Lia has spent many years fighting the disease.
Following her first diagnosis, she underwent radiation treatments.
“It was so tiring, but I got through it,” she said.
In January 2018, Mrs Lia had been striving to become a healthier person, she began walking regularly and discovered parkrun.
However, as she reached her peak fitness level in May 2018, she also received her second cancer diagnosis and had to undergo chemotherapy sessions and immune-therapy sessions.
“In January I started walking around home, and then I started parkrun… and it got to May and something just didn’t feel right,” she said.
“Because my fitness journey had just started, it made me want to keep going.”
Caroline has since kept up with her fitness, and is currently doing a virtual run around Australia.
“I’ve been doing it for two years.
“You walk or run, at your own pace around Australia, you start in Canberra and you end up
in Sydney. At the moment I’m not far out of Broome.”
Mrs Lia is also channelling her passion for fitness into the Cancer Council’s ‘The March
Charge’, a fitness challenged that raises funds for cancer research, prevention programs and support services.
She is very passionate about raising money for cancer research, and hopes others will do what they can.
“It’s very important that they keep researching, because they’re always finding answers and something else that may actually help with the disease,” she said.
“The more we can find out the better, so that – maybe not my generation – but the next
generation will be able to face cancer a bit better.”
Millions of dollars are spend on cancer research every year, and very donation can help.
“In 2020, even with the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on our fundraising, we spent $23.7 million on cancer research. Together we can continue to fund world-class local research to improve diagnosis, detection, and treatment for every cancer,” Cancer Council Victoria chief executive officer Todd Harper said.
“For 12 hours, every dollar you give will have twice the impact for the 34,675 Victorians
diagnosed with cancer each year and will bring us closer to a future without cancer.”
Mrs Lia’s ‘The March Charge’ can be viewed at: https://www.themarchcharge.com.au/fundraisers/cazllia/2022
