Will you support my fundraising?

I'm taking on Challenge New Zealand in February 2027!

Why am I supporting this challenge?

Why I'm Riding

Twelve months ago, if you'd asked me to describe my life, I would have said I was healthy, active and looking forward to the next challenge.

Fitness has always been part of who I am. I spent my weekends running with mates before sunrise, cycling on Sundays, training in the gym and staying involved in the rugby community that has given me so much over the years. I'd completed triathlons and Half Ironman events and, like many people, I assumed bowel cancer happened to someone else.

Then a routine blood test changed everything.

It showed I was iron deficient.

My GP didn't simply treat the iron deficiency—she wanted to know why.

Further testing found blood where it shouldn't have been. A colonoscopy followed, and the diagnosis was one I never expected to hear:

Bowel cancer.

Within weeks, life changed completely. Major surgery. A temporary ileostomy. Months learning how to live differently. Then another operation to reverse the ileostomy and begin rebuilding my strength from the ground up.

Recovery hasn't been measured in kilometres.

It's been measured in small victories.

The first walk.

The first ride.

The first gentle run.

The first time I started believing I could become active again.

Every one of those moments has reminded me how fortunate I am.

I'm fortunate that my cancer was found before it spread.

I'm fortunate that skilled doctors, surgeons and researchers have helped make treatments and outcomes better than ever before.

I'm fortunate that today I can look forward instead of looking back.

That's why I've committed to riding Challenge New Zealand 2027 in support of the Mater Foundation.

Over five days I'll cycle through New Zealand's spectacular Coromandel Peninsula while raising funds for world-class cancer research.

I'm riding because I know firsthand how important early diagnosis, research and advances in treatment can be.

I'm riding for everyone currently facing cancer.

I'm riding for families whose lives have been turned upside down.

I'm riding so that more people hear the words, "We found it early."

Cancer statistics are confronting. One in two Australians will be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 85. That means every one of us knows someone whose life has been touched by this disease.

If my journey encourages even one person to listen to their body, see their doctor or have that potentially life-saving test, then this ride will already have made a difference.

Every dollar donated helps Mater continue world-class cancer research that gives people hope, improves treatments and saves lives.

Thank you for supporting me.

Every donation, every message of encouragement and every kilometre ridden is part of something much bigger than a bike ride.

Together, we're riding towards a future beyond cancer.

Will you support my fundraising by making a donation to my fundraising page today?