The down side of ultra-marathons

This is my third day off since leaving Sydney 40 days ago and I have appreciated lying in bed until 6am even though I woke up at 4am. I am feeling relaxed and look forward to paddling out of Broome tomorrow towards Port Hedland. My body is feeling good and I am going to make the most of my day off by just relaxing and doing some needed washing.

So many of you who leave messages via the blog and who we speak to along our journey often ask me how it is that I continue push myself day after day, to get up and keep going even though my body has long told me stop. To be perfectly honest I don’t like to dwell on the difficulty of the marathon because that isn’t going to help me make it to the finish line. I prefer to take each day a few hours at a time and focus on the positives.

However, today I thought I would let you in on the down side of my experience completing this ultra marathon and give you good reason to support the charity of A2B4C.

Not every day is about beautiful landscape and laughter. Just like those who suffer from cancer, there is an ugly side. The difference is that I can stop whenever I want and relieve the pain, but those who suffer from this terrible disease don’t have that choice. This week on average, 3 children in Australia will die from cancer and many more are diagnosed or will go through the agonising pain of waiting for a biopsy to return with the threatening results. For those kids that do survive, the majority will have one or more chronic health problems as a direct result of their treatments, ranging from infertility to learning difficulties. The effect of cancer goes far deeper than on just the individual diagnosed. Families and friends of the individuals also feel the pain.

I don’t want to leave you feeling depressed with this blog as what we are doing is positive. Survival rates for childhood cancer have improved dramatically over the last 50 years, and so long as we continue to help fund childhood cancer research, just imagine what can be achieved in the years to come.

I once again thank all those who have already made that effort to help others. The greatest gift you can give is that to a stranger.

Cheers, Craig.

Absolutely stuffed after another day giving everything I had

Make your tax-deductible gift

Make your tax-deductible gift before the end of financial year to help Craig reach his $1 million target.

As the end of the financial year approaches, we’d like to express our appreciation for your generous support of A2B4C and Children’s Cancer Institute Australia. Thanks to the care and compassion of supporters like you, there is a real sense of excitement at CCIA as we attract more leading research groups who share our vision: to save the lives of all children with cancer and eliminate their suffering.

Our researchers are now confident that with cancer, there’s no ‘one treatment that fits all’. Every cancer is different, and every child is different. With continued research, our goal is to one day provide doctors with the ability to run a simple test, and within a very short space of time prescribe the best possible treatment for the child.

Every dollar you contribute to A2B4C allows the dedicated researchers at CCIA to fully understand why some children respond to treatment and others, sadly like Jessica, do not.

Any gift of more than $2 received by 30 June will be fully tax-deductible in this financial year. If you would like any additional information about how your donations have and will continue to help us find a cure, please don’t hesitate to contact the CCIA team.

With thanks,
Dr Moira Clay
Associate Director, CCIA