Proud survivor pounds pavement

On Sunday, October 29, a cancer survivor braved Sydney’s 30C heat to walk 28km for a cause close to her heart.

Katanning’s Noelene Graham, a teacher at Braeside Primary School, travelled to Sydney last week to participate in the Cancer Council’s Seven Bridges Walk.

Noelene and her daughter Tamara began the 28km walk at 7.30am and finished at 4.20pm.

“It was a brilliant atmosphere. There were many stalls and local communities helping out with food and drinks,” Noelene said.

“You didn’t have to do the whole 28km, but I was determined to finish because it was a very personal thing for me.”

With the generosity and help of Noelene’s work colleagues and friends, she managed to raise $1250 to go towards the Cancer Council.

“My work colleagues at Braeside Primary School and my friends in Katanning sponsored me and I raised $1250 for the Cancer Council. I couldn’t have done it without their help,” she said.

Noelene, who survived leukaemia twice, also has cardiomyopathy that requires her to have a defibrillator in her heart. But that hasn’t affected her fitness level.

“I only had to stop a few times going uphill, but I love to walk so I did lots of walking prior to the event and I wasn’t even sore the day after,” she said.