By Jena Carr
A wave of pink will take over Eastern Park this Mother’s Day to honour people and families affected by breast and ovarian cancer.
People will walk or run along the East Geelong Reserve during the Geelong Mother’s Day Classic on May 12 to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation and Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.
Clifton Springs’ Danielle Gill said she had participated in the Mother’s Day Classic for over 10 years in honour of her mum, who she lost to breast cancer at a young age.
“My mum died of breast cancer back in 1996. So I was 11, my sister was 10, and my younger brother was four, and at the time, we thought she only had it the once,” she said.
“The type of cancer that she had is called medullary carcinoma (uncommon type of breast cancer) of the breast, and it’s due to an imperfection in the BRCA1 gene.
“It’s always a bit of a sad day and May is always a bit of a tough month. Not only is there Mother’s Day, but there’s also my mum’s birthday and the anniversary of her passing on May 23.”
As a mum herself of a six-year-old and nine-month-old, Ms Gill said it was important to talk about cancer with family members and that Sunday’s event was a great way to remember her mum.
“Everyone’s going to know someone who’s affected by breast cancer whether they’ve lost their lives or if they’ve managed to survive,” she said.
“My big message this year is making sure you tell all your family members what’s happened, so they can make medical decisions based on their history.”
Registrations for the Geelong Mother’s Day Classic are still open, and people can sign up at mothersdayclassic.com.au
