HOPE was the message on show as 500 walkers circled Tamworth Showground at the weekend to raise money for the Cancer Council.
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The annual Relay for Life saw local survivors and hundreds of community members relay non-stop overnight Saturday to celebrate cancer survivors, remember those lost, and fight back against the disease by raising important funds.
Among them was Donna Wallington, whose life has been rocked by cancer.
Mrs Wallington didn’t know much about cancer before her mother’s shock diagnosis with liver cancer.
She cared for mother right up until she lost her battle at the age of 72 six years ago, learning first-hand the invaluable role palliative care nurses play in the journey of cancer patients and their families and carers.
But then, when Mrs Wallington was at her fittest, she received the shocking news that she had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Now in remission, she walked in the relay on Saturday night to help raise awareness and lift the profile of cancer support services in the region.
“We do it to raise awareness,” Mrs Wallington said.
Mrs Wallington, along with her team, Stand Sure, would like to see more palliative care nurses based in Tamworth and a dedicated PET scan to service the entire region.
Relay organiser, Cancer Council North West Community Relations Coordinator Kate Dubois, said the event was a huge success in raising both money and awareness.
She said participant numbers were slightly down on previous years, but that didn’t impact the incredible fundraising total, with the Tamworth relay alone raising between $45,000 and $50,000.
Walkers take steps for others
WALKING more than 70 kilometres in one night is enough to put anyone in pain.
But it’s a feeling Tamworth Councillor Charles Impey insists is only a fraction of what those enduring cancer treatment experience.
Cr Impey was one of 500 walkers to take part in the 2017 Relay for Life in Tamworth over the weekend.
But he was one of just a handful of participants who took on the relay as a lone soldier, walking 71 kilometers on his own by completing 304 laps between 2pm Saturday and 9am Sunday.
“I wanted to know how it feels to be in pain or have little to no energy,” he said.
Oxley High put forward the biggest team on the night, while Bupa Superheroes was the best-dressed team and Stand Sure was named best-dressed campsite for the second consecutive year.
