The streets of Brisbane ran pink on Sunday 3 March 2019. An awe inspiring sight of 13,500 men, women and children gathered in pink t-shirts and various other attire to run in the name of the mothers, sisters, aunties, friends, who will fall and have fallen victim to breast cancer. Out of those 13,500 runners, I was number 3065.
It is estimated that this year alone, 19,535 Australians will be handed a cancer diagnosis. That is 53 people per day. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer amongst Australian women and if you think of the top seven ladies in your life, statistics say, one of those ladies will at some stage, receive a diagnosis.
Despite these figures, survival rates in Australia are amongst the best in the world due to early diagnosis methods and superior care practices. And charities such as Mater Chicks in Pink play an incredibly valuable role in assisting the women fighting this disease by providing assistance with the emotional and financial burden associated with the arduous battle.
I arrived on the day with two of my closest girlfriends, all three of us running our first Women's Day Fun Run. The sea of pink caught me immediately and the notes pinned to many of my fellow participants vests stating "I'm running for my mum" "I'm running for my best friend" brought tears to my eyes. So many women. Too many women.
I truly did not think I would be able to run the entire distance, but we did not stop. We ran with pride knowing that this short feat was nothing compared to what we were running for.
$653,966 was raised on the day to help these amazing warrior women by providing counselling services, mastectomy bras (amongst other tangible items) and ongoing research for future warriors.
I thoroughly encourage you to join in next year, maybe I'll see you there! See more...