Always someone doing it tougher

********update******* Thank you to everyone who has donated. The wonderful Mike Roddy thought it would be a good idea to extend this for 2 weeks and sign me up for a 50km ultramarathon. Just as a FYI I haven’t run further then 10km in one go since May. So on the 5th of December I’ll be huffing and puffing all the way to the finish line all in the name of Emma Gorrick. I hope no one minds me extended the charity fundraising time limit and if you haven’t had a chance to donate maybe me running 50km may change your mind! There isn't many of us who haven't had a really tough time this year through COVID. I am one who has really struggled mentally even though you probably wouldn't have noticed it has been a really tough time for me. I moved to Melbourne late last year to launch a business and recruited a dream team who all started on Feb 1st 2020. 6 weeks later we were all locked up and unable to work in the same room as each other and haven't been able to since.  The stress of running a start up and having people's lives in your hands this time round has really knocked me about and I haven't copped well. When I get depressed or upset I turn to food. As such I have put on an amazing amount of weight. I weigh 104kg so that is nearly 15kg!!! So my goal is to lose 15kg in 5 weeks and raise money for an amazing cause - one you can read more about below. 

Emma and Dave are good friends of mine from Sydney. Emma recently was told she has had a reoccurrence of cancer. Up until a few months ago, Emma was a 34-year-old healthy & happy mum living in Sydney with her husband Dave & their two beautiful children, Mya who is almost 4 & Ryan who is 18 months old.

Em was initially diagnosed with breast cancer almost 10 years ago which she fought & beat. Not only was it an extremely hard time given she had to endure chemotherapy and radiation, she also had to undergo a lumpectomy, followed by a double mastectomy. This also includes a full reconstruction requiring surgery to remove her back muscles to rebuild her chest.

During her 5 years of treatment and cancer blockers, she was told she may never be able to conceive her own children. This was due to her treatment forcing her body into a form of menopause. Against all odds Em beat breast cancer & was able to conceive & carry her two beautiful children & my niece & nephew.

Emma believes these two children are the reason she was put on this earth & they will make the fight ahead the worthiest fight ever. This time though it's through her spine, her ribs, upper and lower lymph nodes, her ovaries and also dominating her liver. This will require an abundance of life long treatment, scans, radiation and chemotherapy, amongst other things, and obvious time away from work for both Em and her husband Dave making it extremely hard to make ends meet.

This isn't going to be easy so I have set the bar very high. I know I ask a lot of you (my friends) year round but this one really pulls the heart strings. I am dedicating the next 5 weeks and every session to ensuring that I reach this goal for Mr and Mrs Gorrick to hopefully make life just a tad easier for them. Please help and support me on this journey