Trekking for a good cause

A group of brave and adventurous Ovarian Cancer Australia (OCA) supporters recently took on the Larapinta Trail, trekking together for five days to raise over $100,000 to support women living with ovarian cancer.

The group, made up of passionate, like minded teammates, all with their own personal connection to ovarian cancer walked through iconic Outback scenery and up to the top of Mount Sonder for a trek that resulted in a life changing experience.

We heard from three of the trekkers - Darren, Stacee and Heather who each shared their inspiration for taking part in the trek. We are so proud and thankful for the team's efforts!

Darren's story

“It is sometimes a mistake to climb; it is always a mistake never even to make the attempt.”

- Neil Gaiman, Fables and Reflections

“My wife Lizzie was taken by ovarian cancer in March 2017. She was 33. She was incredibly passionate about raising awareness, something I continue to do whenever I can. She always said “It’s not about being alarmist, it’s about being educated”, and I couldn’t agree more. The simple truth is this: women know their bodies better than anyone and they must ALWAYS be listened to. Ovarian cancer has impacted so many lives of those closest to me; a beloved teacher from my childhood, and one of my partner’s closest friends has experienced it … it does not discriminate, and there is no early detection test.

Knowledge is one of our greatest weapons against this insidious disease, so when I found myself in a position to be able to sign up to the Teal Ribbon Outback Trek to raise funds and awareness, I jumped on it immediately. This has been one of the most incredibly healing and fulfilling experiences I have ever had. It was an honour and a privilege to walk with my fellow trekkers and to hear their stories, and I’m incredibly grateful to have met each and every one of them on this journey.

This adventure, has been a way to turn something that would otherwise be associated with sadness and grief around into something truly wonderful and positive, all while supporting a cause that will always be close to my heart and moving towards a brighter future where this disease is nothing but a memory.".

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Heather's story

"As an ovarian cancer survivor I am passionate about raising awareness and funds to help save and improve the quality of women’s lives who are impacted by this devastating diagnosis.

I absolutely love trekking and supporting others on challenging journeys, so I knew this was going to be a really special experience - and it was - it was an incredible privilege to be a part of.

The red earth, the refreshing waterholes, the outback skies, the stars.

The personal conversations, the shared purpose, the special bond between us all - each one of us impacted by ovarian cancer in some way… and here we were each being strong and resilient, healing and holding onto hope, growing and changing.

A real highlight was climbing Mt Sonder to welcome in the sunrise in our teal t-shirts. As the vibrant colours streaked the sky, our hearts were filled with the sheer beauty unfolding all around us and by the tears and smiles we shared.

I am so proud of our team too for their amazing fundraising - they will leave a lasting legacy… positively impacting many lives.

This journey will stay with me forever."

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Stacee's story

“After my diagnosis, I felt extremely alone and isolated being in a remote area of Australia. There was little information and no support groups for ovarian cancer in the Northern Territory (NT). The torment of not having a full understanding of ovarian cancer when diagnosed was horrible. I felt so alone. I felt lucky to get it early enough, and this was only by listening to my body and going with my intuition.

During my treatment, I held my head high and wanted to help other women. Although I was exhausted, I wouldn't allow myself to slow down as I didn't want any other women to go through this. I educated and advocated as much as I possibly could by social media, media, fundraisers and talking at events.

When I saw this Trek was in the NT, a beautiful place of Australia, I had decided that I was going to do this challenge and nothing was stopping me, although I was dealing with awful side effects from post chemo. I had four friends who joined this to support me after hearing my story and I'm so grateful.

Doing this trek was one of the most amazing, hardest, challenging, inspiring and emotional things I have ever done in my life. 20 of us shared our stories with each other, of our journey or of those we lost. Being able to share my story with others on such beautiful land was out of this world. I now don't feel alone as so many others have had the same struggle with this cancer. It's heart wrenching and we had many tears throughout this five day trek.

This trek was very hard, it was no easy task. We walked and walked from early to late arvo, ups and downs, rocky ground, sand, through water, through heat and we were all in pain, but we all pushed ourselves beyond our limits.

I did this trek for me and for those we have lost. I reached a limit I never thought I could do again without fear of hurting myself after years of surgeries and pain. I threw my first kick on World Ovarian Cancer Day after stopping Muay Thai and boxing (my passion) and I threw it without a little voice telling me I couldn't do it anymore. This trek definitely restored faith in myself and my ability. I'm inspired to do so much more now and am already thinking about training for a Larapinta Run for Ovarian Cancer. I'm truly inspired to push my body further and taking on more challenge for awareness to make sure no woman walks alone."

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