Rodney Stevens
If walking along the majestic, mighty, Clarence River with like-minded people while raising money for a vital cause seems like a great way to spend an afternoon, why not sign up for Yamba’s Walk 4 Brain Cancer.
Launched in 2013, the has grown into a national movement, involving thousands of Australians each year, who have contributed to more than $30 million being raised for the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation’s brain cancer research.
Yamba Walk 4 Brain Cancer Organiser Matt Trounce said when he moved to Yamba earlier this year and got to know a local man who had been diagnosed with brain cancer 18 months ago, and his wife, in his role as a Uniting Church Minister, he was inspired to do what he could to help the couple.
“I have walked some of the journey with them and know of the struggles they have been going through and I’d heard about the Walk 4 Brain Cancer and I knew there was one on the Gold Coast, but after some research I thought maybe there are some people in Yamba who would be interested in doing a walk to support this local family,” he said.
Mr Trounce, who is also one of the organisers of the Yamba Park Run, said when he mentioned the Walk 4 Brain Cancer to others at the Park Run, he found another local brain cancer sufferer.
“I mentioned it was going to be on November 26 and another guy came up to me and said thanks for doing that, I had been diagnosed myself at one point, so there’s certainly people around in the community who have battled brain cancer,” he said.
“It’s amazing once you start talking about brain cancer people say someone in their family or someone that they know has been diagnosed with brain cancer.”
Like most cancers, brain cancer doesn’t discriminate and can affect people of all ages, from young children to the elderly, but is most common in people aged over 40.
There are more than 100 different types of brain cancer in Australia, and each year around 2000 people are diagnosed with the illness, and while the survival rate has steadily improved, the five-year relative survival rate for brain cancer is still low at about 22 per-cent of patients.
In his research, Matt said he found brain cancer kills more children than any other disease.
The first Yamba Walk 4 Brain Cancer is about 4km, it will begin at Turners Beach and continue along the breakwall to the river mouth and return the same way.
Mr Trounce encouraged all locals who are physically able to complete the walk to consider participating to help achieve their goal of raising $5000 toward brain cancer research in the hope of finding a cure.
To register for the walk which beings at 4pm on Sunday, November 26, or to donate or sponsor a walker, visit https://walk4braincancer.com.au/walks/yamba/
For more information email Matt Trounce on revmatt@mail.com