Six marathons in four days, in honour of a mother lost to blood cancer

Alastair Evans set out to honour his mother, Sally, aiming to raise $75,000 for blood cancer research, through a fundraising event called The Positive Journey – a four-day 270km run from Melbourne to Echuca, his hometown.

Joining with friends, family and donors, Alastair raised over $150,000, running the equivalent of six marathons. The funds raised will be directed into a pioneering CAR T-Cell therapy trial for those diagnosed with myeloma, the blood cancer that his mother lived with for 19 years before passing away in 2016.

Sally participated in multiple clinical trials throughout those years, prolonging her life and allowing her to create precious memories with her children and family.

The Positive Journey was named in tribute to his mother. “My mum filled her days with positivity and inspired those around her to do the same; it would have made her so happy to see the positivity that surrounded me over the four days,” Alastair said.

“The route was the one so often taken by mum as she travelled from Echuca to Melbourne for treatment. As we passed through some of Victoria’s stunning countryside, she was so often in my thoughts, as were the family and friends, my mum’s medical team and Echuca community who supported her and our family.”

Alastair was surrounded by a team of those family and friends for every step of the journey, including Professor Miles Prince, Sally’s haematologist who joined the run on the last day into Echuca.

“Hopefully, one day we can change multiple myeloma from a terminal illness to something that is chronic. It is horrible to think something is incurable, but it is great that there is a prolonged life expectancy.  It would be wonderful to try and bridge that gap and find a cure,” reflects Alastair.

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