By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A FEW of Team Cancure’s beloved members have been lost in the past decade, as has the original team name, but its unbowed walkers won’t stop raising money to “kick cancer’s butt”.
The group is donating more than $8600 to melanoma research from funds raised during its relentless efforts in the City of Casey 24-hour Relay for Life event in March.
Team captain Donna Deken said the group directed the grant in memory of Renee Hargreaves who died at a young age from melanoma.
At the Relay 4 Life, Team Cancure’s 56 members were among 101 teams raising a total $425,156.
Ms Deken said cancer had touched the team’s members personally and inspired them during the 24-hour non-stop relay.
“I’ve had a number of skin cancers but my mother had a number of melanomas removed in 2014.
“She always does three or four laps, bakes a ginger cake for the team.”
One of the team members, Ryan, 17, was a “walking machine” who completed a monster 72 laps of the Akoonah Park circuit.
Ms Deken was one of several members who barely slept between the Friday evening start to Saturday evening finish to ensure the baton never left the track.
“The really hard part is between 2-4am when everyone has already done a lot of work.
“Everyone is on the same page. Every dollar is going towards funding for a cure – whether it’s breast cancer or melanoma.”
The group recently changed its name from Cancare due to the deregistration of Cancare Organisation Support Group.
But its determination lives on for another tilt at the Relay for Life in 2017 – already raising funds with a chocolate drive and planning a car rally.
Details are at fundraising.cancer.org.au and search for Cancure.
