Undergoing treatment for a rare cancer didn’t stop Canberra school teacher Sarah McGoram OAM from climbing 21 kilometres to the Mount Kosciuszko summit on 15 March.
Sarah was one of 700 people to take part in the Kosi Challenge, Rare Cancers Australia’s (RCA) major fundraising event held in March annually since 2013.
Participants, including patients and their families, climb to the country’s highest point to raise funds and awareness for people in Australia affected by rare, less common and complex cancers.
“It has been a bit of a hectic start to the year, all for a good cause,” Sarah said.
“It’s certainly worth the driving and the effort.”
She was accompanied for the climb by her husband, Dr Tom McGoram.
Sarah was just 18 years old when she was diagnosed with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours (GIST), which many years later, she still receives treatment for.
The RCA website states that GIST is a rare type of sarcoma that forms in the lining of the gastrointestinal tract.
Sarah receives targeted (drug) therapy and underwent major surgery in November.
“In January, I couldn’t do much more than 500 metres at a time,” she said.
“So, the mountain was ambitious, but I was determined I’d make it.
“(I had an) exercise physiologist and medical team to support me through the rehabilitation to get ready.”
Sarah said her training for the climb was interwoven with her surgery recovery, which included sessions at the gym, exercise physiology and podiatry.
“In hospital, I lost 15 kilograms and a huge amount of muscle mass, so it was about rehabilitating my muscles and getting them working again,” she said.
Sarah said that one kilometre into the walk, she felt she may have overcommitted.
“It felt hard – it was a really hard walk, but it was beautiful; there was a blue sky, and it was a nice temperature,” she said.
Sarah said she stopped every 15 minutes to stretch.
“Once I got moving, it got easier, and then the run downhill was much more manageable.”
The couple have previously completed the walk with their son, participating over the years depending on Sarah’s health level at the time.
“It was just my hubby and me this time. He did carry bags for a stretch of it and pushed me up the hill a couple of times,” Sarah said.
“It was a relief I was well and strong enough to achieve it because around Christmas time, we weren’t sure that was the case.”
Sarah said that during the walk, she had those who weren’t well enough to walk in her mind.
With a goal of $750,000, all money raised from the walk goes towards the vital support services and crisis funding RCA provides for its patients and their families.
For more information on RCA or the climb, visit kosichallenge.com.au
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