By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
CHEMOTHERAPY is a regular in Sandi Bonavita’s life and has been for the past 18 years as she’s fought and beat cancer five times.
But the Narre Warren mum is living what she calls a great life, coming off the back of a death sentence.
“I’ve had a year of getting better every day and I honestly feel wonderful, I haven’t felt this good in years,” she said, despite living with a miniscule cancerous tumour in her arm pit.
“There have been recent advancements in chemotherapy pills and the drug has been doing its job.”
Sandi, 62, is a well-seasoned cancer survivor and has developed a huge appreciation for the work and research done by the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation.
And 2016 marks the second year that Sandi will walk in a sea of blue and pink Melbournians, also touched by cancer, in the Weekend to End Women’s Cancers.
Sandi and her team of fundraisers called Mimi’s Gang will embark on the two day event in April and hope to raise more than last year’s figure of $23,000.
“I’ve more than doubled my team members this year,” she said of what becomes a very emotional weekend away.
“They set up around 2000 tents for walkers and it’s a beautiful event, people even put up blue and pink ribbons on their fences to show support as we walk past.”
Participants can choose to walk either 60 or 30 kilometres and the walk is expected to pass the Peter MacCallum Cancer centre in East Melbourne.
“Nurses walk alongside you and last year I walked with the CEO of Peter Mac,” Sandi said.
But it’s the cancer survivors that bring a tear to Sandi’s eye.
“During the opening and closing ceremonies they seat all the survivors in one group and you can’t help but burst out crying.
“It’s so inspiring sitting with hundreds of cancer survivors,” she said.
All the weekends’ proceeds go toward research into women’s cancers at Peter Mac and Sandi said she hopes the walk breaks records.
To make a donation to the Weekend to End Women’s Cancers or to sign up for the walk visit www.endcancer.org.au and type Sandi’s full name to donate to her team.
