On 11 May, Canberra mother of two, Athanasia McDonald, and her father, John Kanellopoulos, will be lacing up their running shoes for the upcoming Mother’s Day Classic, joining thousands nationwide in raising awareness for breast and ovarian cancer.
In the last 27 years, $46.1 million has been donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, and $1.2 million to the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.
The two will be running in memory of Ms McDonald’s yiayia (grandmother), and her father’s mother, Athanasia Kanellopoulos.
Their much-loved mother and grandmother fought breast cancer for five years before her death in October 2024. Sadly, only three months after her beloved husband, Nikolaos, had also died.
Ms McDonald and Mr Kanellopoulos spoke to CD on 28 April, which would have been Mrs Kanellopoulos’ 76th birthday.
They described her as “A tough, strong, Greek woman who raised three boys, from a very, very, young age and migrated to a different country in 1967. She had to work really hard for everything. She was a tough cookie!”
“Mum was a great Mum, a great grandmother and a great, great grandmother, to seven grandchildren, and two great grandchildren,” says Mr Kanellopoulos.
For Ms McDonald, competing and fundraising isn’t just about honouring her yiayia’s legacy.
As the mother of Mrs Kanellopoulos’ two great granddaughters, she’s acutely aware of the genetic risk and is determined to support research that could protect their future.
“My perspective on life has completely changed. I want to do everything I can to make sure my girls don’t have to go through this,” she says.
Despite admitting they’re “not runners”, Ms McDonald and her dad have already raised a significant amount for breast cancer research, setting an ambitious goal of $10,000 before Mother’s Day.
They quickly surpassed that mark, and the team are in fact leading the country in terms of donations with $12,700 already raised — with more coming in daily.
The two are very grateful to the friends, family and colleagues for their support.
“People have been very generous. Probably because they know how funny it will be to see us actually try and run!” Ms McDonald said.
The course is 5km, and Ms McDonald says that as a power lifting and strength coach, “This is a completely different type of training for me, so I think I am getting a few sympathy donations from clients who are hoping I don’t pass out.”
Ms McDonald and Mr Kanellopoulos also wanted to stress how much gratitude they have for all those who supported Mrs Kanellopoulos and their family over the last five years.
“We are incredibly grateful to the team at Clare Holland House, who looked after her in her final weeks,” says Ms McDonald.
“Yiayia was so well looked after … and she was happy. She even raved about the food, saying that it may even have been better than hers. Which is saying a lot!”
According to her family, Mrs Kanellopoulos spent much of her life cooking for others.
“And not just for us and our families, but for people in the neighbourhood,” says Mr Kanellopoulos.
Mr Kanellopoulos added that their immense gratitude doesn’t stop with Clare Holland House.
“From her first appointment at Calvary Hospital, to the Canberra Hospital and Intensive Care Unit, and throughout her journey, all the nurses, doctors, staff and volunteers, including those at the McGrath Foundation, were all unbelievable in the way they cared for Mum.”
“God bless them. From day one, we did not have one negative experience”.
Mr Kanellopoulos believes that his Mum would be very proud of them.
“Mum would love that we are doing this in her honour, and to help us with our grieving process,” he said.
“And she would especially love the support for other sufferers of this horrible disease.”
Mr Kanellopoulos would also like people to know that even though his mother died, many people survive.
“It’s important to remember that there is hope. It’s also important to get regular checks and not to ignore the first warning signs,” he says.
Ms McDonald would also like to remind others that they are not alone as there are also other families here to support them.
“We’re doing this for yiayia, but also for others and their families. Our hearts go out to all those affected.”
Since 1998, The Mother’s Day Classic has been dedicated to walking, running and fundraising to save women’s lives on Mother’s Day.
You can help by supporting Yiayia’s Warriors via mothersdayclassic.com.au; donating directly; or by getting involved at the Mother’s Day Classic so that others, like Yiayia Kanellopoulos and her family, might be spared the effects of this devastating disease.
