By Luke Voogt
North Geelong’s Natalie Ceccucci will trek 60km in one day this month to help end avoidable blindness in developing nations.
The 47-year-old intensive care nurse will join three long-time friends in the St Vincent’s Wild Women team for the challenging, all-terrain Coastrek.
“We love spending time together,” Natalie said.
“All of us wanted to have a challenge and improve our fitness – and it’s for a good cause.”
The group has so far raised about $2500 for the Fred Hollows Foundation.
Natalie volunteered in Papua New Guinea in 2001 for Operation Open Heart, assisting with cardiac surgery on locals.
“We’re very lucky compared to other countries,” she said.
She said that the Hollows foundation’s work was vital for “people who don’t have the access to good health care like we do.”
“Some of the procedures are really simple but they’re life-changing,” Natalie said.
Ocean Grove’s Kate Hughes will also take on the trek, walking 30km with the Bellarine Belles.
She recently saw the foundation’s work first-hand with husband Daniel and son William at Nepal’s Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology.
“I didn’t know what to expect and was completely blown away,” she told the Ocean Grove Voice recently.
“We only spent an hour there but we could have spent all day. The doctors see 700 to 1000 patients a day and some walk for days to get there – it was incredible.”
Kate and Natalie will join more than 500 teams at this year’s Melbourne Coastrek. Organisers of the 18 November event hope to raise $1.2 million for Hollows foundation.
