Dear Editor,
The Leukaemia Foundation would like to thank your readers who have already signed up for the Sunflower Dash in 2014. Registrations are still open to dare the dash on Sunday 29th June from 10am at Kings Domain, Melbourne. The sunflower-themed fundraising event is free for kids and is open to people of all ages and fitness levels providing the option to tackle the 2km big dash or the 400m mini dash.
The Leukaemia Foundation is Australia’s peak body for blood cancer, dedicated to the care and cure of people living with blood cancer and related blood disorders and their families. It receives no ongoing government funding and relies on community support and campaigns such as the Sunflower Dash to fund its important work.
Many inspiring people will be attending the Sunflower Dash, including Jarrod who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at 23 years of age.
Jarrod was diagnosed last May and after the initial shock wore off the emotional toll was the hardest to bear when the physical effects of the blood cancer and treatment hit. Jarrod’s world was tipped upside down and treatment was dragging on with no end in sight. Emotional security from those around him kept Jarrod going until he received the celebratory news in October that he was in remission. Raising $4,000 and topping the fundraising leader board last year for the Sunflower Dash, this year Jarrod will dare the dash as someone who understands the value of emotional support during a blood cancer diagnosis.
In Victoria alone, 3000 people are expected to be diagnosed with leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma or a related blood disorder each year. Money raised by the Sunflower Dash will be used to support emotional wellbeing through family counselling, face to face and telephone support, and a Blood Buddies program to pair newly diagnosed people with others on a similar journey. All services are provided free of charge and without ongoing government funding.
It is not too late to sign up or make a donation to the Sunflower Dash. Visit www.sunflowerdash.org.au or call 1800 500 088. Finding a sunny side to life can be hard when blood cancer shadows your days – it changes how you see yourself, your relationships with others and your enjoyment of life. This inspired our Sunflower campaign. We chose the symbolic sunflower because even on a cloudy day, it turns towards the sun. It is a beautiful image that makes us think of all the families who have turned to the Leukaemia Foundation to get through the tough times.
Thank you for supporting the Leukaemia Foundation’s Sunflower Dash – we can’t wait to see you daring the dash this winter in your sunflower-themed costumes on Sunday 29th June!
Yours sincerely,
Stephanie Hechenberger, General Manager, Leukaemia Foundation Victoria
