Its a beautiful day - Its just raining - true inspiration - Mordialloc Victoria

MONDAY AUG 17 / 2015 / by Andrew Talati
0 Comments 6 Comments

 

Its a beautiful day True inspiration

Graeme is part of the ‘In Loving Memory’ team that annually rides in The Ride to Conquer Cancer but he is inspiring beyond that.

He has a number of stickers on his bike and we spoke about the reasons behind them.

Tough times don't last - Tough people do

Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.

‘This is my fourth round for cancer. I’ve lost the prostate, had bladder cancer twice with mild chemo for that. Fortunately that’s all good now. But it has come back now close to my kidney. I might lose the kidney. Hopefully I don’t. Those were the tough time, but they don’t last – I’m still here’.

‘If you are going to go and sit in a corner and say I’ve got cancer and I’m going to die then you will die. Look at like and know that you still have so many things to be thankful for – I do. There’s so many body parts still working. Why concentrate on the one that’s not quite working properly. Look forward, look ahead, look around you – there’s always someone worse off than you. That’s how I look at it. There’s always something to be grateful for out there. I find it every day. Something, every day.’

‘Sometimes when we go to go for a ride, people will say it’s a horrible day, it’s raining. It’s not a horrible day – it’s just raining. That’s my outlook on life. Everything is beautiful. It’s just different from one day to another – it’s still beautiful. The glass is always half full and it’s a beautiful glass too. And what’s in the glass is also very nice –it could be anything. Could be water, could be wine- it’s all beautiful. Concentrate on beautiful things. There’s a hundred things you could be grateful for – why concentrate on the one thing that’s not right’.

Never know how strong you are Until its your only choice

You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.

‘That’s a Bob Marley quote. I’m on my own at the moment but that’s how I’ve dealt with cancer – on my own. I hear the news, come home, process it and then I can face the world. I have come to terms with it in my own mind. Cancer is not something to play around with, it’s serious. But we can have fun raising funds to fight cancer. In order to do that you have to be of sound mind so I make sure that I’m mentally, physically strong so I can face up to it. You have no choice but to be strong or you spiral downwards and I’m not going there. Ever.’

‘I get my strength from seeing kids with cancer. They are still happy, laughing. They have no hair, drips coming out of everywhere and yet they see people and they jump up and they laugh, like when the clown doctors come in. How can you not draw inspiration from that – it’s fantastic. The biggest inspiration I have is seeing how strong they are. Some adults, grown-ups will curl up and die cause we’ve got a bit of cancer somewhere but no, you learn from the young ones, learn from the innocent’.

‘So being strong is your only choice if you want to get through it – be strong. It’s really not difficult.’

In Loving Memory

‘The team is named after a friend of mine who lost his father just weeks before the first Ride to Conquer Cancer. I’d just been diagnosed two days before my daughter’s 21st birthday and I had my first operation two days after my birthday. I told the kids we’re not having birthdays anymore. I started doing it [Ride to Conquer Cancer] for myself and everyone else out there. I can’t just do it for myself only. I fortunately, don’t have anyone who has passed from it in my immediate family and I’m obviously trying to stay away from that. It’s something that I can do for the community, something I don’t want is cancer. We need to get rid of it so we’re doing all we can.’

‘In Loving Memory is a team of about 40 people. We do the ride as well as walks to end women’s cancers. We just do everything we can to raise funds so we can fight this disease. In my first year I raised about $8000. My son and daughter ride with me and between us we raised over $12000. Over three years the In Loving Memory team has raised about $156000 and $80000 is the target this year. We’re doing pretty well. The Ride to Conquer Cancer has raised $24.6 million over four years.’

And the In Loving Memory team are kept updated about how the funds they raise are being used. A recent update showed that their donations went towards new processes that extracts a patient’s DNA and matches the best type of chemo to them. The highly targeted process determines the most suitable chemo which cuts down so much time, effort and cost.

‘That’s something that we’ve raised money for and they have done. They are tracking that for us so we can see what they are doing. Our money is also being used to fight women’s cancers and children’s cancers. One treatment of the children’s cancers means that instead of having chemo six times it can be done in half the treatments, it attacks the cancer cells twice. I’ve helped to do that. It’s an amazing feeling. It’s for future generations, a legacy. You can be part of a cancer-free tomorrow.’

‘When the Doctor told me I could possible lose my kidney in August I said to him, let’s be realistic, cancer kills. If it’s gonna get me, it’s gonna get me but it’ll be with a smile on my face. And if it takes me, I’ll be fighting it from the other side.’

Best of luck Graeme – you’re our inspiration!

You can support Graemes team at: www.conquercancer.org.au

Feedback
Email
Name
Send