“I decided to raise money for Bowel Cancer Australia through the Canberra Times Fun Run after my mum, Fiona, was diagnosed with Stage IV Bowel Cancer in August 2021.
From the moment mum was diagnosed, our lives completely changed, and mum was thrown into extremely intensive treatment after two major surgeries. She endured all of this with the most bravery and grace you could possibly imagine.
As time went on, she understandably faced greater challenges with her treatment, and I could tell she needed a boost and something to lift her spirits. Which is when I decided to train a couch to 5km and raise money for Bowel Cancer Australia through the Fun Run.
Mum got so much joy out of us setting our fundraising goal and seeing the support we got from friends and family. I chose Bowel Cancer Australia specifically after finding their amazing resources and reading about all the incredible work they do to raise awareness of bowel cancer, fund research and seek to improve the quality of life of those impacted by this horrible disease.
Bowel Cancer Australia also supported me as I tried to help manage mum’s care and help her through her treatment - both through their amazing Bowel Care Nurses and Nutritionists, so I was grateful to also be able to give back to an organisation who helped me so much. The actual day of the race was such a beautiful day, and it was so special to be able to have mum there cheering me on.
Sadly, mum lost her battle a month later in December 2022 but I am so grateful we got to do this together and that it brought her so much joy.” ~ Lauren.
If you were inspired by Lauren's fundraising activities and would like to support Bowel Cancer Australia through a community fundraiser get in touch with us through our webform
