WHEN Gary Carnell rode from Geelong to Adelaide with 12 mates last week to raise money for the Fight Cancer Foundation, he only had to look down to the frame of his bike for inspiration.
It was there that he had a picture of his brother-in-law – Jason Mahoney – who lost a 10-month battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in September 2011.
Before taking off from Mount Gambier on Friday to complete the second-to-last leg of the CUREtour, Gary reflected on Jason’s life.
“The thing that got me the most was the fact he was the fittest bloke you could come across and for cancer to strike him down like it did was unbelievable,” Gary said.
“I know he would have just wanted us to keep going and going.”
Gary founded the CUREtour in 2010 to raise money for the Fight Cancer Foundation – which provided Jason’s family accommodation while he received treatment.
Jason’s wife Kylie said this was a life-line for the Geelong-based family who needed to be close to Jason’s treating hospital in Melbourne.
“To be able to stay together as a family while Jason received and recovered from a bone marrow transplant made a terrible time in our lives more bearable,” Kylie said.
Completing the 1200km journey for the ninth time in 2018, Gary said the riders, sponsorships and donations had grown each year.
“We have grown from having four riders in 2010 to this year where we had 13 riders and a couple of support people to assist us,” he said.
“The mateship we build along the ride is definitely one of the main highlights.”
It’s a personal challenge for the whole team, with all riders having been directly affected by cancer.
They hope to make the fight against cancer easier for at least one of the 13,000 Australians diagnosed with cancer each year.
“For us, it’s physical push, a mental battle and at times an emotional journey, but it’s nothing compared to the incredible challenge that is cancer,” CureTOUR rider Ben Carnell said.
