Last year, Abbey, a vibrant, fit young woman was shocked to discover she had Hodgkins Lymphoma. At just 18, she would need to undergo months of cancer treatment, and her recovery would take a huge toll on her.

During this incredibly difficult time for the family, Abbey’s parents, Kate and Greg decided to join the virtual Unite to Fight Cancer event in 2020.

Kate said, ‘I guess we signed up to Unite as it was really the only thing we could actually do to maybe make a difference… not directly to help Abbey but it made us feel like we were helping Peter Mac when in all other aspects of her cancer journey we felt pretty helpless.’

Having to go through a cancer journey during lockdown in Melbourne, Unite to Fight Cancer was a helpful outlet and good reason to get out of the house to do some training.

"For us in a really dark time, participating in Unite enabled us to shift the focus for a while, if only for a couple of hours a week. It may have been going for a ride that made us feel a bit lighter, or reading other people's stories to make you realise that you weren't the only ones going through it but most of all, we felt really good about what we were doing."

Kate and Greg have returned for this year’s Unite to Fight Cancer and, along with their team Heymos for Hodgkins, they’ve raised over $18,000 and clocked a massive 755km riding and walking. Through their phenomenal efforts, they’ve raised a total of $36,000 since 2020.

“Abbey’s still got a journey to go and there will be tests for the next five years, but we’re so incredibly proud of her. It definitely gives some peace of mind knowing that Peter Mac researchers are doing everything they can to develop the best treatment for every patient. It’s helpful to me to know that—hopefully—one day, there'll be some incredible research breakthrough that will benefit everyone with cancer.”

Thank you to every one of our 3,314 heroes who took part in Unite to Fight Cancer this year and to the 22,000 people who supported them. Together, we raised over $1.8 million for Peter Mac’s vital cancer research.