Walk to Fight Cancer 2023 - Mia, Thuy and Lorey's story
21 September 2023
Australia's favourite charity walk, Walk to Fight Cancer, is back!
From 12-21 October 2023 Peter Mac supporters will be lacing up their trainers to get out, get active, and help accelerate life-saving cancer research.
Mia Volten is taking on the 10-day walking challenge, and will be making every step count.
“I am walking in October to honour the fight my Mum is still fighting”, says Mia.
“I do this for her and the many other people who are on a similar journey. As my Mum lays in a bed at Peter Mac for the fourth time since 2008, I am hopeful that one day it will all be a distant memory and that a cure will be found so her cancer journey ends. “
Thuy Rogers is stepping up for her Mum, too.
“I am an employee at Peter Mac but also my mum is a patient”, says Thuy, whose Mum is receiving treatment for breast cancer.
Thuy's wedding, before her Mum was diagnosed
“Peter Mac has been amazing for my mum and for me, and my colleagues have been nothing but supportive. Really taking care of us."
“This is one of my first charity walks and so far the training and physical experience has been great. It's personal to me and that is what makes this experience so special.”
Thuy isn’t the only Peter Mac staff member getting involved. Dr Lorey Smith is going the distance as well.
Lorey is a Senior Research Officer in Professor Grant McArthur’s Laboratory at Peter Mac, and an Honorary Fellow in the Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology at the University of Melbourne. But Lorey’s connection to cancer doesn’t end there.
Dr Lorey Smith is researching how melanoma cells adapt and evolve after treatment
“Like many other Australians, I am also a cancer survivor”, says Lorey. “I know first-hand what it feels like to get a diagnosis, and I’ve sat with family members as they were told their likelihood of survival was low.
Participating in the Walk to Fight Cancer gives us all a chance to contribute to something bigger than ourselves. The money raised will have a direct impact on improving cancer patient outcomes by providing funding for the world-class research and clinical trials that happen at Peter Mac every day. Research is expensive and it takes time to turn discoveries into new treatments, but it works.
“Curiosity and passion for discovery initially motivated me to become a scientist, however my personal experience with cancer now inspires my research and drives me to apply my skills towards trying to make a difference for cancer patients – and I couldn’t think of a better place to do this than Peter Mac.”
Sign up now
There’s still time to join Mia, Thuy, Lorey, and hundreds of passionate Peter Mac supporters in the Walk to Fight Cancer, to help give people with cancer the best chance of a cure.
The event takes place between 12 and 21 October 2023. You choose how far you think you can go in 10 days and ask your friends and family to sponsor you. You can complete your challenge wherever you wish – on your favourite hikes, or even on a treadmill.
