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Joanne on fundraising journey

“You never know what tomorrow will bring, so walk, run, cycle, sing and dance as much as possible.”

I am a French tourist currently cycling across Australia. Bike touring can sometimes be physically challenging but it is a wonderful way to discover a country, its natural beauty and meet its people. In addition to my passion for cycling and travel, I’m a videographer, age 35, adore my family and good food and continue to be an enthusiastic fan of Doctor Who and Harry Potter.

Cycling the vast distances of Australia first started as a crazy idea (still might be) but as I researched it, the more it seemed possible. I have both the time and the savings to do the trip now and thought why not try?

It also seemed like a good time to raise money for a charity along the way and I chose La Ligue Contre le Cancer, which funds cancer research projects in France. Realising that during my trip I could meet Australians who might want to support my fundraising effort but not want to contribute to a French organisation, I started looking for a cancer charity in Australia. It would have to be one that was national as my plan is to see the whole country and I want to get everyone involved. When I came across ACRF on the Internet, it met all the criteria, one of my Aussie friends vouched for the organization, and there it all started. My goal is to collect $1 per kilometre cycled.

Cancer, like any other disease, makes you feel powerless and angry. I’m not a doctor, a nurse, a researcher or anyone capable of helping people with cancer first hand, but I can raise funds for research. Research is the key to curing cancer and whether it’s medicines, machines, or procedures, we’ve come a long way. I’m hopeful that research will take us even further to ending cancer soon!

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